H. pylori lipopolysaccharide outer core epitope

ABSTRACT

Dextrans produced by lactic acid bacteria  Leuconostoc mesenteroides  and consisting of linear α1,6-glucan chains modified with short side-chains composed of consecutive α1,6-linked glucose residues were linked to a carrier protein. Three dextrans, namely Dextran-5K, Dextran-3.5K and Dextran-1.5K, with molecular masses of 5,000 Da, 3,500 Da and 1,500 Da, respectively, were modified with a diamino group-containing linker, followed by the introduction of maleimido functionality and conjugation to thiolated tetanus toxoid (TT), yielding Dextran-5K-TT, Dextran-3.5K-TT and Dextran-1.5K-TT conjugates. Studies performed with post-immune sera of mice and rabbits immunized with dextran-based glycococonjugates demonstrated cross-reactivity with LPS from typeable and non-typeable  H. pylori  strains and selected mutants. The post-immune sera from rabbits that received the conjugates exhibited functional activity against α1,6-glucan-positive strains of  H. pylori , 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant lacking the O-chain component and corresponding wild-type strain 26695. This study provides the proof that α1,6-glucan-based conjugates provide an alternative vaccine strategy for protection against  H. pylori  infections.

PRIOR APPLICATION INFORMATION

The instant application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/321,881, filed Nov. 22, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,085,610, which is a US National Stage Application under 35 USC 371 of PCT Patent Application CA2010/01173, filed Jul. 30, 2010, which in turn claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/230,315, filed Jul. 31, 2009, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel Helicobacter pylori LPS outer core epitope. More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel H. pylori outer core epitope, its synthesis, characterization, and conjugation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Helicobacter pylori is recognized as the most common bacterial infection associated with human chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric carcinoma. H. pylori infection has an estimated prevalence of about half the world's population, reaching up to 70% in developing countries and 20-30% in industrialized countries (Dunn et al., 1997). The vast majority of individuals acquire H. pylori in childhood; the prevalence of infection among children in developing countries is linked to a low socio-economic status and poor sanitation (Castillo-Rojas et al., 2004). H. pylori has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a class I carcinogen, as it increases the relative risk for gastric cancer at least six-fold. Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of mortality worldwide, and accounts for 700,000 annual deaths (Parkin et al., 2002).

Current eradication strategies of H. pylori are based on the use of proton pump inhibitors and antibiotics. However, the efficacy of chemotherapeutic intervention is limited by frequency of antibiotic resistance among H. pylori isolates and lack of immunity against re-infection. Thus, novel therapies are needed to provide a global strategy for the prevention and eradication of H. pylori infections.

While recent investigations have been focused on the role of protein components in the pathogenesis of H. pylori and their role in protective immunity (Ruggiero et al., 2003; Rossi et al., 2004), relatively few studies have explored the possibility of including antigens other than proteins in vaccine formulations (Angelakopoulos and Hohmann, 2000). For example, polysaccharide-based conjugate vaccines are known to prevent systemic infection and inhibit colonization of the host (Anderson at al., 1986; Chu at al., 1991; Pon et al., 1997; Passwell et al., 2001; Passwell et al., 2003). Recent studies of enteric pathogens have examined approaches based on LPS conjugates as candidate vaccines for human use (Gu et al., 1996; Mieszala et al., 2003; Cox et al., 2005; Yu and Gu, 2007). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major cell surface component of H. pylori. Structural studies carried out on a number of H. pylori isolates (Monteiro, 2001) have resulted in a structural model of LPS consisting of an O-chain and a core oligosaccharide that is attached to a lipid A moiety. The structure of the O-chain polysaccharide backbone of most H. pylori strains is unique and displays type 2 and/or type 1 Lewis (Le) blood group determinants that mimic those present on the cell surface of human gastric and tumour cells (Wirth et al., 1996); these may be implicated in adverse autoimmune reactions leading to atrophic gastritis (Appelmelk et al., 1996). In addition, the outer core region of H. pylori LPS contains two unusual polymeric components: DD-heptoglycan and α1,6-glucan (Monteiro, 2001). The α1,6-glucan polymer in the outer core region H. pylori LPS isolates is synthesized by the product of the HP0159 open reading frame. The presence and expression of HP0159 gene in H. pylori is common.

A number of H. pylori LPS biosynthetic genes have been characterized and their role in pathogenesis and colonization determined (Logan et al., 2000; Logan et al., 2005; Hiratsuka et al., 2005; Chandan et al., 2007; Altman et al., 2008). H. pylori HP0826 mutants were constructed and it was demonstrated that this mutation resulted in formation of truncated LPS lacking Le antigen (Logan at al., 2000). However, full characterization of the structure of the LPS was not achieved.

Despite advances in the field, immunogenic epitopes effective across multiple types of H. pylori remain elusive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel Helicobacter pylori LPS outer core epitope. More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel H. pylori outer core epitope, its synthesis, characterization, and conjugation.

The present invention provides a α1,6-glucan-containing Helicobacter pylori compound comprising the structure of Formula I:

R is a α-DDHep-3-α-L-Fuc-β-O-GlcNAc trisaccharide substituted with an α1,6-glucan linked to an α1,3-DD-heptan, and the last DD-Hep residue of α1,3-DD-heptan is capped with β-GlcNAc residue. In the compound as just described, the α1,6-glucan may comprise from about 3 to about 12 α1,6-linked glucose residues, and the α1,3-DD-heptan may comprise from about 2 to about 6 α1,3-linked heptose residues.

The R group of the compound as described above may be

where β-GlcNAc residue L is linked to O-2 of Hep G. In the compound as just described, residues Q and Z of the glucan are α1,6-linked glucose residues, and n may be any value between about 1 to 11; residues T, Y, and X are α1,3-linked heptose residues, and m may be any value between about 0 to 4.

The compound as described above may be isolated or purified from H. pylori strain HP0826::Kan.

In the compounds described above, the structure of Formula I may further comprise a lipid A moiety covalently attached to the Kdo residue C. The lipid A molecule may be O-deacylated or may be cleaved through hydrolysis of the ketosidic linkage of the Kdo residue.

The present invention also provides a conjugate, comprising a substantially linear α1,6-glucan-containing compound conjugated to a linker molecule, a protein carrier, or a combination thereof. The substantially linear α1,6-glucan-containing compound may be the compound described herein, wherein the structure of Formula I is conjugated to the linker molecule, protein carrier, or combination thereof. The substantially linear α1,6-glucan-containing compound may alternatively be a Dextran, such as Dextran T5. The protein carrier may be tetanus toxoid or bovine serum albumin.

The present invention also encompasses a composition comprising one or more than one compounds or conjugates as described above.

The present invention further includes an antibody directed against the α1,6-glucan epitope-containing compound described herein. The antibody may be monoclonal antibody 1C4F9. The invention further encompasses hybridoma cell line 1C4F9, which produces monoclonal antibody 1C4F9.

The monoclonal antibody described above may be utilized to cause complement-mediated bacteriolysis of α1,6-glucan-expressing H. pylori strains in an individual in need of such treatment.

The present invention also provides the use of an effective amount of the composition described above for inducing an immune response against H. pylori in an individual. The compound(s) in the composition may be conjugated to a suitable carrier protein; additionally, the compound(s) in the composition may be conjugated to a suitable carrier protein via a 2-keto-3-deoxy-octulosonic acid (Kdo) of the lipopolysaccharide.

The present invention further provides an immune antiserum produced by immunizing a mammal with the immunogenic composition described herein. The immune antiserum may comprise an IgG recognizing an α1,6-linked glucan epitope in homologous and heterologous typeable and non-typeable mutant and wild-type strains of H. pylori. The IgG may cause complement-mediated bacteriolysis of mutant and wild-type α1,6-glucan-expressing H. pylori strains.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent in view of the following description. The detailed description and examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, as various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the teachings of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a CE-MS analysis of LPS glycoforms in fraction 1 of the delipidated LPS from H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan in the positive ion mode. FIG. 1A shows the extracted mass spectrum (m/z 1000-1500), while FIG. 1B shows the product ion spectrum of ions at m/z 1266.3.

FIG. 2 shows a CE-MS analysis of LPS glycoforms of the O-deacylated LPS from H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan in the negative ion mode. FIG. 2A shows the extracted mass spectrum (m/z 600-2000), while FIG. 2B shows product ion spectrum of ions at m/z 1597.7. Fragment ions corresponding to the lipid A moiety are marked with asterisk.

FIG. 3A shows the structure of the major LPS glycoform from H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan; acylation is not shown. Products of the KOH deacylation of the LPS of FIG. 3A are shown in FIG. 3B (compounds 1 to 4). Products of the deamination of compound 4 are shown in FIG. 3C (compounds 5 and 6). Products of the periodate oxidation of compound 6 are shown in FIG. 3D (compounds 7 and 8). Structures previously proposed in the art for H. pylori LPS from strain 26695 (FIG. 3E) and H. pylori LPS from strain 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant (FIG. 3F) are also shown (adapted from Logan et al., 2000). PEtn=phosphoethanolamine; Glc=D-glucopyranose; Gal=D-galactopyranose; Kdo=2-keto-3-deoxy-octulosonic acid; LDHep=L-glycero-D-manno-heptose; DDHep=D-glycero-D-manno-heptose; GlcNAc=2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose; GlcN=2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose; Fuc=L-fucose; P=phosphate; and Gro=glycerol.

FIG. 4 shows a reaction scheme for the preparation of LPS-based conjugates of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a CE-MS analysis of the major fraction of the delipidated H. pylori O:3 HP0826::Kan LPS in the negative ion mode. ●: LPS glycoforms containing one Hep residue in the side chain, R=Hex₅₋₁₃, Hep, HexNAc, Fuc; ▪: LPS glycoforms containing two Hep residues in the side chain, R=Hex₈₋₁₃, Hep, Hep, HexNAc, Fuc.

FIG. 6 shows graphs for the determination of the specificity of rabbit antibodies elicited by dLPS-TT conjugate by inhibition ELISA with H. pylori LPS from 26695 HP0479::Kan (FIG. 6A) and 26695 HP0826::Kan (FIG. 6B). Coating LPS are depicted as follows: filled squares—26695; filled diamonds—26695 HP0826::Kan; filled circle—26695 HP0159::Kan; filled triangles—26695 HP0479::Kan; open circles—SS1; open squares—SS1 HP0826::Kan; open triangles—SS1 HP0159::Kan; open inverted triangles—SS1 HP0479::Kan;

FIG. 7 shows graphs depicting the H. pylori-specific antibody responses in CD-1 mice. Mice were vaccinated four times at weekly intervals with 25 μg/mouse dLPS-TT conjugate adjuvanted with 1 μg/mouse cholera toxin (filled bars), PJ2 cell-free sonicate adjuvanted with 1 μg/mouse cholera toxin (hatched bars) or saline (open bars). Four weeks after the first immunization, serum, fecal and vaginal wash samples were collected and assays for H. pylori-specific IgG and IgA. Individual mice are plotted on the graphs with the horizontal bar indicating the group mean (n=5/group). *p<0.05, **p<0.01 by one-tailed Mann Whitney test.

FIG. 8 is a bar graph depicting the H. pylori burdens in the stomachs of CD-1 mice. Mice were vaccinated four times at weekly intervals with 25 μg/mouse dLPS-TT conjugate adjuvanted with 1 μg/mouse cholera toxin (filled bars), PJ2 cell-free sonicate adjuvanted with 1 μg/mouse cholera toxin (hatched bars) or saline (open bars). Five weeks after the first immunization, mice were orally gavaged three times every other day with ˜10⁸ cfu H. pylori, PJ2 strain. Four weeks later, mice were killed and viable bacteria from their stomachs were enumerated. Bars represent groups of 4-5 mice±SEM.* p<0.05, one-tailed Mann-Whitney test.

FIG. 9. MALDI-MS analysis of dextrans following dialysis and lyophilization: A-Dextran-5K; B-Dextran-3.5K; C-Dextran-1.5K.

FIG. 10. ¹H-NMR spectrum at 25° C. of the Dextran-3.5K following dialysis and lyophilization (A), following 1,8-diamino-4,6-dioxaoctane group incorporation (B) and following β-maleimidopropionate incorporation (C).

FIG. 11. Binding of Dextran-3.5K-TT post-immune rabbit sera to the surface of H. pylori on AGS monolayers, as visualized by indirect IF microscopy: (A) strain 26695; (B) strain O:3; (C) strain PJ2. Scale bars, 10 μm.

FIG. 12. Determination of the specificity of rabbit antibodies elicited by dLPS-TT rabbit sera by inhibition ELISA with isomaltoheptaose {Glc→[α(1→6)Glc]_(n) n=6}. Coating H. pylori LPS are depicted as follows: (◯) 26695; (□) O:3; (♦) PJ1; (Δ) PJ2.

FIG. 13. MALDI-MS analysis of DT and Dextran-3.5K-DT conjugates: (A) DT; (B) Dextran-3.5K-DT-I; (C) Dextran-3.5K-DT-II. Observed positive ions at m/z 30318, m/z 36368 and m/z 35638 correspond to doubly charged ions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a novel Helicobacter pylori LPS outer core epitope. More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel H. pylori outer core epitope, its synthesis, characterization, and conjugation.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are now described. All publications mentioned hereunder are incorporated herein by reference.

As used herein, ‘purified’ does not necessarily mean absolute purity but rather is intended as a relative definition. Similarly, as used herein, ‘isolated’ refers to the removal of something from its native environment.

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterial pathogen commonly associated with human chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric carcinoma; as a result of the increased risk of gastric cancer associated with H. pylori infection, it has been classified as a class I carcinogen. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major cell surface component of H. pylori. Prior publications relating to structural studies of H. pylori LPS led to a proposed model where an O-chain polysaccharide is covalently linked to a core oligosaccharide, which is in turn attached to a lipid A moiety. The O-chain polysaccharide backbone of most H. pylori strains is unique and can display type 2 and/or type 1 Lewis (Le) blood group determinants; this polysaccharide component is antigenic. “Typeable” H. pylori strains have Lewis epitopes (Le X and/or Le Y antigens) that can be recognized by anti-Lewis antibodies (anti-Le); such antibodies may be commercially available and assist in typing. “Non-typeable” strains do not contain Lewis structures.

Further structural studies established that the outer core region of H. pylori LPS contains two unusual polymeric components: DD-heptoglycan and α1,6-glucan side chains (Monteiro, 2001). Logan et al. (2000) also provided insight regarding the structure of the LPS. Specifically, the proposed structures (see FIGS. 3E and 3F) provided that the DD-heptose (DD-Hep) in the side chain is attached to the DD-Hep in the backbone, while the α1,6-glucan is attached to this side-chain DD-Hep and forming another branch. Specifically, Logan et al. (2000) determined the length of the glucan chain in 0826 mutant LPS to be one to three glucoses based on FAB-MS spectra (fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry). Presence of α1,6-linked glucose in H. pylori strain 26695 LPS was also described and was based on the methylation analysis data, but the length of the glucan was not determined. It was additionally suggested that in strain 26695 LPS, 3-substituted Hep forms a connection between GlcNAc unit of the O-chain and the core. Presence of 3-linked heptose in H. pylori HP0826::Kan LPS was also stated, but the presence of α1,3-heptan or its length were not described. No further information regarding the structure or length of the heptan or glucan side chains were provided. The structure of H. pylori LPS is presently further defined.

The present invention provides a novel α1,6-glucan-containing Helicobacter pylori compound comprising the structure of Formula I:

wherein R is a α-DDHep-3-α-L-Fuc-3-β-GlcNAc trisaccharide substituted with an α1,6-glucan followed by α1,3-DD-heptan, where the last DD-Hep residue of α1,3-DD-heptan is capped with β-GlcNAc residue.

In the structure as described above, the β-GlcNAc of the trisaccharide (α-DDHep-3-α-L-Fuc-β-O-GlcNAc), is linked to α-DDHep G. The α-DDHep of the trisaccharide is linked to the α1,6-glucan, which is in turn linked to the α1,3-DD-heptan. The α1,3-DD-heptan is then linked to a β-GlcNAc residue; the latter may provide a point of attachment for the O-chain polysaccharide. By the term “linked” or “substituted”, it is meant that the two moieties are joined by a covalent bond.

The term “α1,6-glucan” used herein may also be referred to interchangeably as “glucan”, “α1,6-glucan side chain”, “glucan side chain”, “α1,6-glucan moiety”, and/or “glucan moiety”. The α1,6-glucan is a linear polysaccharide chain of glucose monomers linked by α1,6 O-glycosidic bonds. In one example, which is not intended to be limiting in any manner, the α1,6-glucan may be a linear polysaccharide. The α1,6-glucan may comprise any suitable amount of α1,6-glucose residues. For example, and without wishing to be limiting in any manner, the glucan may comprise from about 3 to about 12 α1,6-linked glucose residues; specifically, the glucan moiety may comprise about 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 α1,6-linked glucose residues, or any range defined by any two values just recited. In one non-limiting example, the α1,6-glucan may comprise 9-12 α1,6-glucose residues; in another non-limiting example, the α1,6-glucan may comprise 10 α1,6-glucose residues.

The term “glycoform” as used herein indicates different forms or types of the compound with the same LPS structure but differing in a number of a α1,6-glucose or α1,3-heptose residues. For example, and without wishing to be bound by theory, each glycoform may comprise a specific length glucan and/or heptan moiety or a combination of thereof.

The term “α1,3-heptan” used herein may also be referred to interchangeably as “α1,3-DD-heptan”, “heptan”, “α1,3-heptan side chain”, “heptan side chain”, “α1,3-heptan moiety”, “heptan moiety”, and/or “DD-heptoglycan”. The α1,3-heptan is a polysaccharide chain of heptose monomers linked by α1,3 O-glycosidic bonds. In one example, which is not intended to be limiting in any manner, the α1,3-heptan may be a linear polysaccharide. The α1,3-heptan may comprise any suitable amount of α1,3-heptose residues. For example, and without wishing to be limiting in any manner, the heptan may comprise from about 2 to about 6 α1,3-linked heptose residues; specifically, the heptan moiety may comprise about 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 α1,3-linked heptose residues, or any range defined by any two values just recited.

The last DD-Hep residue of the α1,3-DD-heptan described above is capped with a β-GlcNAc residue. By the term “capped”, it is meant that the β-GlcNAc residue is the last residue in the side-chain; the term “terminated” may also be used. The β-GlcNAc may be linked to the DD-Hep via position O-2 of the heptose. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the β-GlcNAc residue may provide a point of attachment for the O-chain polysaccharide.

In one non-limiting example, R may be

where β-GlcNAc residue L is linked to O-2 of Hep residue G. In this example, the β-GlcNAc residue W may provide a point of attachment for the O-chain polysaccharide. In the compound as just described, residues Q and Z of the glucan are α1,6-linked glucose residues, and n may be any value between about 1 to 11, such that the glucan comprises from about 3 to about 12 glucose residues in α1,6-linkage; in one specific, non-limiting example, a major glycoform contains 10 consecutive α1,6-linked glucose residues (n=9). In the compound as just described, residues T, Y, and X are α1,3-linked heptose residues, and m may be any value between about 0 to 4, such that the heptan comprises from about 2 to about 6 heptose residues in α1,3-linkage; in one specific, non-limiting example, a major glycoform contains 4 consecutive α1,3-linked heptose residues (m=2).

The structure may be isolated and/or purified from any suitable H. pylori strain; for example, and without wishing to be limiting in any manner, the truncated H. pylori LPS molecule may be isolated from a non-typeable H. pylori strain (i.e., one devoid of Lewis antigens), such as and not limited to a H. pylori strain having mutation in HP0826 gene leading to an isogenic mutant lacking O-chain polysaccharide. In a non-limiting example, the compound described herein may be isolated and/or purified from H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan or strain PJ2.

The structure of Formula I, also referred to herein as the “inner core molecule”, may further comprise a lipid A moiety covalently attached to a Kdo residue, for example the Kdo residue C. In other embodiments, the lipid A molecule may be O-deacylated or may be completely deacylated. In yet other embodiments, lipid A moiety may be cleaved through hydrolysis of the ketosidic linkage of the Kdo residue. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the cleavage of lipid A may be done to eliminate the toxicity of LPS and to avoid possible aggregation and insolubility of the conjugate. Persons of skill in the art would be familiar with methods for O-deacylation, deacylation, or hydrolysis of the ketosidic linkage of the lipid A moiety (see for example, Hoist et al., 1991; Altman et al., 2003).

The present invention also provides a conjugate comprising a substantially linear α1,6-glucan-containing compound conjugated to a protein carrier. The substantially linear α1,6-glucan-containing compound may be any suitable substantially linear polysaccharide comprised of α1,6-linked glucose residues. By the term “substantially linear”, it is meant that the α1,6-glucan contains few branches; for example, and without wishing to be limiting in any manner, the α1,6-glucan may comprise from about 0 to about 5% branching in the α1,6-glucan. Specifically, the α1,6-glucan may comprise about 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, or 5% branching, or any amount therebetween; the compound may also be a mixture, wherein the amount of branching within the mixture varies from one compound to another. In one non-limiting example, the α1,6-glucan-containing compound may be the structure as described above and herein. In another example, the α1,6-glucan-containing compound may be a Dextran. The Dextran may be any suitable Dextran that meets the requirements described above and having a molecular weight of between 1 and 10 kDa; for example but without wishing to be limiting in any manner, the Dextran may be about 1, 3.5, 5, 6.5, 8, or 10 kDa, or any value therebetween. In a specific, non-limiting example, the Dextran may be Dextran T5. In yet another example, the α1,6-glucan-containing compound may be a linear chain of between about 5 and 8 α1,6-linked glucose residues; for example, and without wishing to be limiting in any manner, the α1,6-glucan-containing compound may be a linear chain of 5, 6, 7, or 8 α1,6-linked glucose residues.

The α1,6-glucan-containing compound is conjugated to a linker molecule and/or a carrier protein; as would be understood by one of skill in the art, the structure described herein may be directly conjugated to the carrier protein, or may be conjugated to a linker molecule (also referred to herein as “linker”) that is in turn conjugated to the carrier protein. By the term “conjugated”, it is meant that the structure is covalently attached or linked to the linker molecule and/or carrier protein. Methods for covalent attachment of the linker and/or carrier protein are well-known to those of skill in the art; as would be appreciated by the skilled person, the method for covalent attachment (and whether or not a linker is present) may vary based on the carrier protein used. Without wishing to be limiting in any manner, one such method is shown in FIG. 4, which is adapted from Fernandez-Santana et al. (1998); in this method, deacylated or delipidated LPS is activated by covalently linking the carboxyl group of a Kdo residue to a linker molecule, followed by the introduction of a maleimido functionality. The activated LPS is mixed with thiolated carrier protein to produce a conjugated structure. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the method described herein is general and accordingly any other suitable method may be used (for example, but not limited to those described by Chu et al., 1991; Cox et al., 2005; Gu et al., 1996; Mieszala et al., 2003; Yu and Gu, 2007). The α1,6-glucan-containing compound may be attached to the linker/carrier protein via a carboxyl group of any suitable carbohydrate residue in the structure. In a specific, non-limiting example, the α1,6-glucan-containing compound may be the structure of the present invention and may be attached via the inner core Kdo residue C.

The carrier protein may be any suitable carrier known in the art, including immunogenic carriers. For example, the carrier protein may be, but is not limited to tetanus toxoid, serum bovine albumin (BSA), Diphteria toxoid, mutant Diphteria toxoid, CRM, CRM₁₉₇ protein, Pseudomonas A protein, Cholera toxin (CT) protein, a Cholera toxin mutant CT-E29H protein, and others known in the art for example but by no means limited to parts of flagella, pili and other toxins.

As previously indicated, conjugates could be prepared by either directly connecting the carrier protein and the structure of the present invention via naturally occurring groups or connecting via introduction of spacer or linker molecules, comprising but by no means limited to primary amino groups, hydrazides, thiols, carboxyls and others.

The present invention additionally provides a composition comprising one or more compounds as described herein, one or more conjugate as described herein, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the composition may comprise a mixture of glycoforms of the compound described above; for example, and without wishing to be limiting in any manner, the composition may comprise a major glycoform comprising 10 consecutive α1,6-linked glucose residues (n=9) in the glucan moiety. Similarly, and without wishing to be limiting in any manner, a composition could comprise conjugates prepared from more than one glycoform described herein. As demonstrated in the Examples, the LPS structure elaborated by H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan that was used for preparation of conjugates was a mixture of three glycoforms: backbone oligosaccharide I, backbone oligosaccharide I capped with GlcNAc and [GlcNAc, Fuc, Hep], and oligosaccharide containing α1,6-linked glucan, with the longest glucan chain corresponding to approximately twelve α-1,6-linked residues, as determined by CE-MS analysis (Table 2, FIG. 2).

The composition as just described may be immunogenic. By the term “immunogenic”, it is meant that the composition may induce an immune response against H. pylori wild-type and/or mutant strains. The immune response may provide a broad immunogenic response against typeable and non-typeable strains of H. pylori.

The present invention also provides a use of an effective amount of the composition as described herein for inducing an immune response against H. pylori in an individual. As previously described, the composition may comprise one or more than one compound in accordance with the present invention. The one or more than one compound may be conjugated to a linker and/or a suitable carrier molecule.

The present invention further provides an immune antiserum produced by immunizing a mammal with the immunogenic composition as described above. The immune antiserum may comprise or yield a post-immune serum IgG recognizing an α1,6-linked glucan epitope in homologous and heterologous typeable and non-typeable mutant and wild-type strains of H. pylori. The IgG may cause complement-mediated bacteriolysis of mutant and wild-type α1,6-glucan-expressing H. pylori strains.

The present invention additionally provides anti-α1,6-glucan antibodies. The antibodies may be raised against the compound of the invention as described herein, or may be raised against other α1,6-glucan-containing molecules such as Dextran (or Dextran conjugates, for example but not limited to Dextran-BSA conjugates). In one non-limiting example, the antibody may be a monoclonal antibody, produced according to methods known in the art (see Example 10; Altman et al., 2005). For example, and without wishing to be limiting in any manner, the antibody may be a monoclonal antibody, raised against the α1,6-glucan epitope present in the outer core region of H. pylori HP0826 mutant LPS; more specifically, the antibody may be raised against the compound shown in FIG. 5. In yet a more specific example, the monoclonal antibody may be IgM 1C4F9, produced by hybridoma cell line 1C4F9. This cell line has been deposited with the International Depositary Authority of Canada (National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA) on Jul. 30, 2009 and assigned accession number 300709-01. As demonstrated in the examples, 1C4F9 recognized the α1,6-glucan epitope in LPS and whole cells of typeable and non-typeable H. pylori strains, was readily accessible on the surface of live bacteria, and reacted equally well with both LPS-OH-TT and dLPS-BSA or dLPS-TT conjugates.

The present invention provides the use of 1C4F9 antibody to cause complement-mediated bacteriolysis of mutant and wild-type typeable and non-typeable α1,6-glucan-expressing H. pylori strains in an individual in need of such treatment. As previously described, typeable H. pylori strains have Lewis antigens recognized by anti-Le antibodies while non-typeable strains do not. However, since both typeable and non-typeable strains contain α1,6-glucan, both types of strains will be recognized by 1C4F9 antibody.

Currently in the art, H. pylori strains may be typed using commercially available antibodies against Lewis antigens; however, as non-typeable strains do not contain Lewis structures, they cannot be classified using this approach. As most typeable and non-typeable H. pylori strains carry α1,6-glucan epitopes, anti-α1,6-glucan antibodies (such as mAb 1C4F9) could provide an additional method of screening and characterizing H. pylori isolates.

The LPS of H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan was purified and its chemical structure determined by composition, methylation, in-depth nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, as well as CE-MS data. The presence of α1,6-linked glucan in the outer core region of H. pylori HP0826 mutant LPS was also demonstrated; this structure was recognized by α1,6-glucan-specific monoclonal antibody, 1C4F9. The latter antibody was generated using formalin-fixed cells of H. pylori O:3 HP0826::Kan mutant strain. These antibodies were cell-surface accessible and bactericidal. Previously, it was believed that only the Lewis structures were antigenic; thus, the generation of antibodies against α1,6-glucan was unexpected.

To investigate the vaccine potential of H. pylori LPS, modified LPS of H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant, was conjugated to tetanus toxoid (TT) or bovine serum albumin (BSA). Two approaches for preparation of the partially delipidated or delipidated LPS were utilised: O-deacylation of LPS by mild hydrazinolysis (LPS-OH) or delipidation of LPS by mild acid treatment (dLPS). Additional methods of delipidation and/or partial delipidation are well known in the art and such suitable methods may be used within the scope of the present invention. Both LPS-OH and dLPS were covalently linked through a 2-keto-3-deoxy-octulosonic acid (Kdo) residue to a diamino group-containing spacer, followed by the introduction of a maleimido functionality and conjugation to thiolated TT or BSA to give conjugates LPS-OH-TT, dLPS-BSA and dLPS-TT, respectively. In a separate experiment, non-typeable strain PJ2 was delipidated and utilised for conjugation to give dLPS(PJ2)-TT conjugate.

The LPS-OH-TT, dLPS-BSA, dLPS-TT conjugates as well as dLPS(PJ2)-TT retained antigenicity of the surface accessible α1,6-glucan determinant, as established by indirect ELISA with IgM 1C4F9. The antibody was shown to have excellent specificity for the α1,6-glucan determinant and its binding characteristics were determined by inhibition ELISA with oligosaccharides from isomalto-series and purified LPS from typeable and non-typeable strains of H. pylori. These studies confirmed that 1C4F9 had a requirement for 5 to 6 consecutive α1,6-linked glucose residues, a pattern consistent with the size of anti-α-(1→6)dextran combining sites postulated by Kabat (1993).

The LPS-OH-TT, dLPS-BSA, dLPS-TT or dLPS(PJ2)-TT conjugates were immunogenic in mice and rabbits and induced significant IgG antibody responses to LPS from homologous, heterologous, and wild-type strains of H. pylori. A ten-fold stronger IgG immune response to the immunizing antigen was generated in mice and rabbits that received dLPS-containing conjugate. The post-immune sera of rabbits immunized with either LPS-OH-TT, dLPS-BSA, dLPS-TT or dLPS(PJ2)-TT displayed bactericidal activity against 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant and the wild-type 26695 strains of H. pylori.

In summary, these results indicate that delipidated or partially delipidated H. pylori LPS-based protein conjugates devoid of Le antigen and carrying a long α1,6-glucan chain are immunogenic in both mice and rabbits and induce bactericidal antibodies. It is important to note that this epitope has been identified as being immunogenic. This was not established previously as only Lewis structures were known to be antigenic and to produce specific antibodies.

To investigate the candidacy of α1,6-glucan-based glycoconjugates, we have utilized dextrans produced by lactic acid bacteria Leuconostoc mesenteroides and consisting of linear α1,6-glucan chains modified with short side-chains composed of consecutive α1,6-linked glucose residues. Three dextrans, namely Dextran-5K, Dextran-3.5K and Dextran-1.5K, with molecular masses of 5,000 Da, 3,500 Da and 1,500 Da, respectively, were modified with a diamino group-containing linker, followed by the introduction of maleimido functionality and conjugation to thiolated tetanus toxoid (TT), yielding Dextran-5K-TT, Dextran-3.5K-TT and Dextran-1.5K-TT conjugates. Studies performed with post-immune sera of mice and rabbits immunized with dextran-based glycococonjugates demonstrated cross-reactivity with LPS from typeable and non-typeable H. pylori strains and selected mutants. The post-immune sera from rabbits that received the conjugates exhibited functional activity against α1,6-glucan-positive strains of H. pylori, 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant lacking the O-chain component and corresponding wild-type strain 26695. This study provides the proof that α1,6-glucan-based conjugates provide an alternative vaccine strategy for protection against H. pylori infections.

The preparation and characterization of dextran-based synthetic glycoconjugates provides significantly simplified and cost-effective carbohydrate-based vaccine against H. pylori infections, as discussed herein. We have previously demonstrated that an α1,6-glucan epitope of the outer core region of H. pylori LPS is common in H. pylori isolates and is recognized by α1,6-glucan-specific bactericidal monoclonal antibodies, suggesting that α1,6-glucan outer core epitope can be a target for protective immunity (Harrison et al., 2011). Subsequently, we explored the utility of the glycoconjugate, consisting of a modified LPS from H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant (Altman et al., 2011) and a carrier protein, to elicit immune responses in immunized animals. The ability of rabbit post-immune sera to recognize typeable and non-typeable strains of H. pylori and induce bactericidal antibodies suggested the possibility that glycoconjugate comprising α1,6-linked glucan alone and a suitable protein carrier would be sufficient to confer protection against H. pylori. We have employed commercially available dextrans from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B512F that have been reported to produce mostly linear α1,6-linked glucan chains (Maina et al., 2008). Dextran-TT conjugates were prepared using the conjugation strategy previously developed by us for the synthesis of H. pylori LPS-based glycoconjugates. This approach is based on the incorporation of a diamino group-containing linker onto the carbohydrate antigen, followed by the introduction of maleimido functionality and coupling of the activated carbohydrate molecule to thiolated carrier protein yielding the desired glycoconjugate. This general strategy leads to synthesis of highly reproducible, stable and biologically active glycoconjugates.

To optimize the dextran size in the glycoconjugate, we sought to compare the immunogenicity of commercially available dextrans, namely Dextran T5 (MW 5 KDa), Dextran 13.5 (MW 3.5 KDa) and Dextran T1.5 (MW 1.5 KDa), produced by Leuconostoc mesenteroides B512F and consisting of polysaccharides with primarily linear α1,6-glucan chains with a limited branching as demonstrated by subsequent methylation analysis. Our previous findings have indicated the requirement for five to six α1,6-linked glucose residues for optimal recognition of the α1,6-glucan epitope (Harrison et al., 2011). Accordingly, all three dextrans were subjected to dialysis using dialysis membrane, 1,000 Da cutoff, which resulted in the removal of low-molecular-mass components and further optimization of the dextran size. Lyophilized dextrans were conjugated to TT using previously developed methodology, yielding Dextran-5K-TT, Dextran-3.5K-TT and Dextran-1.5K-TT conjugates, respectively.

The conjugates were immunogenic in both rabbits and mice and induced strong, specific IgG responses against α1,6-glucan-expressing H. pylori LPS. Dextran-3.5K-TT and Dextran-1.5K-TT conjugates induced similar serum IgG titres in mice and rabbits against LPS from H. pylori strains 26695 and 26695 HP0826::Kan, while Dextran-5K-TT induced slightly higher serum titres against the same LPS in rabbits (Table 24). Rabbit and mouse antisera were screened against a panel of LPS from typeable and non-typeable α1,6-glucan-positive H. pylori strains exhibiting strong and specific immune responses (Tables 25 and 26). Furthermore, the broad cross-reactivity of the Dextran-3.5K-TT-induced rabbit sera was confirmed by indirect IF microscopy studies conducted with intact H. pylori cells adherent to AGS monolayers. These experiments demonstrated that rabbit serum IgG recognized surface-exposed epitopes on intact H. pylori cells of α1,6-glucan-positive strains 26695, O:3 and PJ2, representatives of typeable (26695 and O:3) and non-typeable (PJ2) strains.

Mouse post-immune sera also exhibited some reactivity against LPS from α1,6-glucan-negative H. pylori strains, namely SS1, SS1 HP0826::Kan and 26695 HP0159::Kan, suggesting that it may have been recognizing terminal glucose residue in the LPS core oligosaccharide. It was previously suggested by Kabat et al. (Kabat et al., 1993) that α(1→6)dextrans produced two types of antibodies, a groove-type site recognizing a chain of six α1,6-linked glucoses not including the reducing glucose, or a cavity-type site recognizing terminal non-reducing glucose with four contiguous α1,6-linked glucose residues. Generation of murine antibodies specific to terminal glucose residues by dextran-TT conjugates could account for this cross-reactivity. To confirm these findings, inhibition ELISA was conducted with purified LPS of H. pylori 26695 HP0479::Kan. This LPS consists of a linear backbone oligosaccharide structure α-Glc-4-β-Gal-7-α-DDHep-2-α-Hep-3-α-Hep7PEtN-5-α-Kdo capped with [GlcNAc, Fuc] at α-DDHep and giving rise to two glycoforms (approximate ratio 1:1) which contain terminal non-reducing glucose residue (Hiratsuka et al., 2005). H. pylori 26695 HP0479::Kan LPS blocked the binding of mouse immune sera to LPS from strains SS1 HP0826::Kan, SS1 and 26695 HP0159::Kan with an inhibitory concentration 50% (IC₅₀) of 233, 158 and 86 μg/mL, respectively, suggesting the recognition of terminal non-reducing glucose residues by sera of mice immunized with Dextran-5K-TT conjugate.

When post-immune sera of rabbits immunized with either conjugate was tested for bactericidal activity, Dextran-3.5K-TT post-immune sera exhibited the highest functional activity against strain 26695, whereas Dextran-5K-TT conjugate exhibited the highest bactericidal activity against Le negative 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant (Table 28). Overall, these results were comparable with functional activity of rabbit post-immune sera generated against dLPS-BSA and LPS-OH-TT conjugates.

In conclusion, we have demonstrated that dextran-based glycoconjugates are able to elicit functional, specific and broadly cross-reactive antibodies in immunized animals and can act as a vaccine against H. pylori.

The present invention will be further illustrated in the following examples. However, it is to be understood that these examples are for illustrative purposes only and should not be used to limit the scope of the present invention in any manner.

Example 1 Isolation and Structural Analysis of H. pylori 26696 HP0826::Kan LPS

Helicobacter pylori strain 26695 was obtained from Dr. R. Alm (Astra Zeneca, Boston, Mass.), H. pylori O:3 isolate was from Dr. J. Penner, J99 was obtained from Dr. D. Taylor (University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada), SS1 from Dr. A. Lee (The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia), PJ1 and PJ2 clinical isolates were fresh clinical isolates from Dr. W. Conlan (IBS, NRC) and M6 was from Dr. K. Eaton (Michigan State University, MI).

Growth of bacterial strains was carried out as described by Hiratsuka et al. (2005). Briefly, cells were grown at 37° C. on antibiotic-supplemented Columbia blood agar (DIFCO™) plates containing 7% horse blood in microaerophilic environment for 48 h (Kan 20 μg/mL) as previously described (Hiratsuka et al., 2005). For growth in liquid culture, antibiotic supplemented Brucella broth containing 10% fetal bovine serum was inoculated with H. pylori cells harvested from 48 h Columbia blood agar/horse blood plates and incubated for 48 h in a shaker under microaerophilic conditions (85% N₂, 10% CO₂, 5% O₂) as previously described (Hiratsuka at al., 2005).

H. pylori strains were cultivated in liquid culture as described above, and the wet cell mass obtained by centrifugation of the bacterial growth was washed twice successively with ethanol, acetone and light petroleum ether and air-dried. LPS was extracted from the air-dried cellular mass by hot phenol-water extraction procedure of Westphal and Jann (1965). LPS was obtained from the aqueous phase after extensive dialysis and lyophilization. H. pylori LPS was further purified by ultracentrifugation (105,000×g, 4° C., 12 h), and the pellet was suspended in distilled water and lyophilized.

Sugar composition analysis was performed by the alditol acetate method (Sawardeker et al., 1967). The hydrolysis was done in 4 M trifluoroacetic acid at 100° C. for 4 h or 2 M trifluoroacetic acid at 100° C. for 16 h followed by reduction in H₂O with NaBH₄ and subsequent acetylation with acetic anhydride/pyridine. Alditol acetate derivatives were analyzed as previously described (Altman et al., 2003). Methylation analysis was carried out according to the method of Ciucanu & Kerek (1984) and with characterization of permethylated alditol acetate derivatives by gas liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GLC-MS) as previously described (Altman et al., 2003).

Sugar analysis of purified LPS from H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan as alditol acetates revealed the presence of L-fucose (L-Fuc), D-glucose (D-Glc), D-galactose (D-Gal), N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (D-GlcNAc), D-g/ycero-D-manno-heptose (DD-Hep) and L-g/ycero-D-manno-heptose (LD-Hep) in the approximate molar ratio of 0.4:5.0:1.5:4.3:6.4:1.4, indicating the presence of the structure devoid of O-chain (Logan et al., 2000). Methylation analysis carried out on the intact 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS was consistent with these findings and showed the presence of terminal L-Fuc, 3-substituted L-Fuc, terminal D-Glc, terminal D-Gal, 3-substituted glucose, 4-substituted D-Gal, 6-substituted glucose, terminal DD-Hep, 2-substituted DD-Hep, 6-substituted DD-Hep, 3-substituted DD-Hep, 7-substituted DD-Hep, 2,7-substituted DD-Hep, 2-substituted LD-Hep, 3-substituted LD-Hep, terminal D-GlcNAc and 3-substituted D-GlcNAc in the approximate molar ratio of 0.1:1.0:1.1:0.1:1.2:1.0:6.0:0.4:1.2:1.1:3.1:0.5:1.6:1.2:0.1:0.3:0.4.

No 3,4-substituted D-GlcNAc and 2-linked D-Gal, characteristic of the O-chain containing Le antigens, were detected. The purity of LPS was confirmed by the absence of RNA derived ribitol. Composition and methylation analyses of 26695 LPS have been reported elsewhere (Logan et al., 2005). All sugars were present in the pyranose form.

Example 2 Characterization of Delipidated H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS by Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry (CE-MS)

Purified 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS (20 mg) obtained in Example 1 was hydrolyzed in 0.1 M sodium acetate buffer, pH 4.2, for 2 h at 100° C. and fractionated by gel filtration on a BIO-GEL™ P-2 column as described previously (Altman et al., 2003) to generate delipidated LPS (dLPS). Three fractions (fractions 1-3) were collected and analyzed by capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry (CE-MS; Table 1).

For CE-MS, a PRINCE™ CE system (Prince Technologies, The Netherlands) was coupled to a 4000 QTRAP™ mass spectrometer (APPLIED BIOSYSTEMS™/MDS SCIEX™, Canada). A sheath solution (isopropanol-methanol, 2:1) was delivered at a flow rate of 1.0 μL/min. Separations were obtained on about 90 cm length bare fused-silica capillary using 15 mM ammonium acetate in deionized water, pH 9.0. The 5 kV electrospray ionization voltage was used for the positive ion detection mode. Tandem mass spectra were obtained using enhanced production ion scan mode (EPI) with a scan rate of 4000 Da/s. Nitrogen was used as curtain (at a value of 12) and collision gas (set to scale “high”).

CE-MS analysis of the major fraction 1 in the positive ion mode confirmed the presence of a series of triply charged ions at m/z 1212.3, m/z 1266.3 and m/z 1320.4 consistent with consecutive additions of Hex residues, the longest glucan chain corresponding to approximately eleven α-1,6-linked residues. Based on the signal intensity of ions, the most abundant glycoform at m/z 1266.3 contained ten α1,6-linked Hex (FIG. 1). Product ion spectrum of ions at m/z 1266.3 in the positive ion detection mode confirmed the presence of diagnostic ions at m/z 1244.5 and m/z 1447.6 consistent with the previously observed backbone core fragments Hex₂Hep₃ (PEtn)Kdo and HexNAcHex₂Hep₃ (PEtn)Kdo, respectively (FIG. 1). Fractions 1 and 2, carrying α1,6-glucan in the LPS core, were combined and used for conjugation.

Example 3 Characterization of O-Deacylated 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS by CE-MS

O-Deacylation of 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS (of Example 1) was carried out according to Hoist et al. (1991) with some modifications. Briefly, LPS (4 mg) was stirred in anhydrous hydrazine (0.2 ml) at 37° C. for 4 h. The reaction mixture was cooled, and cold acetone (2 ml) was slowly added to destroy excess hydrazine. After 30 min, precipitated O-deacylated LPS (LPS-OH) was collected by centrifugation (4° C., 9300×g, 10 min). The pellet was washed twice with cold acetone, dissolved in water and lyophilized to give LPS-OH (3.5 mg).

CE-MS analysis of the O-deacylated 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS (LPS-OH) in the positive ion mode was performed as described in Example 2. Results of CE-MS were consistent with MS data obtained for delipidated LPS and afforded three major doubly charged ions at m/z 1137.2, m/z 1239.2 and m/z 1408.0 consistent with the presence of the backbone oligosaccharide and backbone oligosaccharide capped with HexNAc and [HexAc, Fuc, Hep], respectively (Table 2), while triply charged ions at m/z 1597.7, m/z 1651.4 and m/z 1705.5 were consistent with the presence of glucan, the longest glucan chain corresponding to approximately twelve α1,6-linked residues (Table 2, FIG. 2). The MS/MS spectrum of m/z 1597.7 showed the presence of diagnostic ions at m/z 1447.6 and m/z 1244.5 consistent with the sequential loss of [Fuc, Hep] and [Fuc, Hep, HexNAc], respectively (FIG. 2) and, additionally, gave rise to a singly charged ion at m/z 1786.8 consistent with the core fragment FucHex₂HexNAcHep₄ (PEtn)Kdo linked via a Kdo residue to O-deacylated lipid A (lipid A-OH), while ions at m/z 444.4 and m/z 887.8 corresponded to the lipid A-OH moiety consisting of a diglucosamine backbone substituted with two amide-linked 3-hydroxyoctadecanoic [C18:0(3-OH)] fatty acid chains (FIG. 2).

Example 4 NMR Analysis of H. pylori Strain 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS

Degradation of the LPS from H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan (of Example 1) was initiated with complete deacylation with 4 M KOH in the presence of NaBH₄ for the instant reduction of lipid A GlcN, since alkaline hydrolysis of PEtN substituent leaves reducing end GlcN without aglycon (Hoist et al., 1991). Separation of the products by gel chromatography gave two fractions, eluted in the oligosaccharide region of the chromatogram. Further analysis showed that these fractions contained similar compounds, apparently differing by the length of a glucan chain. Lower molecular mass fraction contained compounds 1-3, identified by mass spectrometry, and both fractions contained compound 4 with different length of glucan portion (FIG. 3).

NMR spectra (DQCOSY, TOCSY, NOESY, ¹H-¹³C HSQC and HMBC) were performed on a VARIANT™ 500 or 600 MHz spectrometer using standard software as described previously (Brisson et al., 2002). All NMR experiments were performed at 25° C. using acetone as an internal reference at δ 2.225 ppm for ¹H spectra and 31.45 ppm for ¹³C spectra.

NMR spectra of both fractions corresponded to compound 4, although spectra could not be completely interpreted due to their complexity. The H-1 protons of terminal residues of α1,6-glucan and DD-heptan did not overlap with the rest of glucan and heptan H-1, thus allowing identification of the position of these homopolymers within the entire structure, as shown in FIG. 3. However, the linkage position of the reducing terminal Glc residue Z of the α1,6-glucan chain was not determined. It showed strong NOE correlation with an unidentified proton (later assigned to H-6 of Hep N). NMR data of the compound 4 clearly showed that α1,6-glucan was placed between DD-heptan and inner core, since the first Hep residue of the heptan moiety (X) was linked to O-3 of a non-reducing terminal Glc residue V belonging to α1,6-glucan. The non-reducing end of DD-heptan was substituted at O-3 with β-GlcN W. Compounds identical to smaller oligosaccharides 1-3 were previously found as main components of the H. pylori LPS of the α1,6-glucan-less mutant HP0159::Kan and NMR data for them were published (Altman at al., 2008). Selected NMR data for the compound 4 are shown in Table 3. It can be clearly seen that the previously proposed sequence of four contiguous heptose residues linked to Kdo was not present in any of the examined compounds (FIG. 3). The β-GlcN residue L was linked directly to O-2 of Hep G, and there was no GlcN connected to O-7 of Hep in any part of the LPS structure.

For further analysis of the LPS structure compounds 1-4 were deaminated. Briefly, the samples were dissolved in 10% AcOH and an excess of NaNO₂ was added; after 3 h, product was isolated by gel chromatography on SEPHADEX™ G-15 column. Some compounds were then reduced with NaBD₄ and desalted. The resulting products were compounds 5 and 6. NMR spectra of compound 5 (performed as described above) showed two isomers with phosphate at position 6 or 7 of the Hep E (due to phosphate migration under alkaline conditions). Again, three contiguous Hep residues were present, not four as would have been expected if the previously proposed structure were correct. Removal of the entire side chain by deamination procedure (described above) confirmed that GlcN L formed the connection between sugars of the OS 5 and the remainder of the molecule.

Compound 6 contained DD-heptan, α1,6-glucan and trisaccharide DDHep-Fuc-anh-Man-ol (N-M-L, anh-Man L deriving from GlcN L) at the reducing end. Spectra of this product were less crowded and it became possible to identify the attachment point of the α-1,6-glucan to O-6 of the DDHep N (from TOCSY between H-1 and H-6 of DDHep N). The structure was linear, as confirmed by methylation analysis, which showed no branched sugars; all expected products were identified in agreement with the proposed structure (Table 4).

Further confirmation of the structure of DD-heptan-α-1,6-glucan region was obtained from the results of the periodate oxidation of compound 6. Periodate oxidation was performed with an excess of 0.1 M NalO₄ for 24 h; ethyleneglycol was added and product isolated by gel chromatography on SEPHADEX™ G-15 column. It was reduced with NaBD₄, desalted, and hydrolyzed with 2% AcOH for 3 h at 100° C. Two main products, 7 and 8, were obtained and isolated by gel chromatography on SEPHADEX™ G-15 column.

The reduction of oxidized oligosaccharide with NaBD₄ allowed identification of the oxidized carbons in NMR spectra (inverted phase of CHDOH signals as compared with CH₂OH signals in APT-HSQC). The structure of compounds 7 and 8 was determined by NMR spectroscopy and methylation analysis. Formation of compound 7 proved that DDHep N was not substituted at position 3. Since methylation of compound 6 showed only terminal, 3- and 6-substituted DD-Hep, DD-Hep N was substituted at position 6, as it was proposed from NMR data of compound 6. Formation of compound 8 with glycerol (Gro) at the reducing end confirmed that Glc V in the OS 6 glycosylated next Glc residue at position 6, since there were no other components of the oligosaccharide 6 which could produce glycerol upon oxidation-reduction. It also clearly proved the attachment of the DD-heptan moiety to the non-reducing end of α1,6-glucan at position 3 of terminal glucose.

The size of the DD-heptan domain could be estimated: compound 8 contained four mannose residues, derived from DD-heptose. Spectra of compound 8 were well resolved and integration of H-1 signals gave nearly equimolar ratio and showed the presence of four mannose residues. Thus, the intact DD-heptan domain in compound 6 consisted mostly of 5 DD-heptose units, one of which (terminal) was removed by periodate oxidation. This conclusion was confirmed by mass spectrometry. The structure of the major LPS glycoform produced by H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan is illustrated in FIG. 3.

Example 5 Preparation and Characterization of LPS-OH-TT, dLPS-BSA, dLPS-TT, and dLPS(PJ2)-TT Conjugates

Kdo-linked conjugates of LPS-OH (see Example 3) and dLPS (see Example 2) to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and/or tetanus toxoid (TT) were prepared.

LPS-OH (4 mg, 0.8 μmol, based on an estimated average molecular mass of 4789 Da) or dLPS (4 mg, 1 μmol, based on an estimated average molecular mass of 3779 Da) was dissolved in 0.1 M 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES; SIGMA-ALDRICH™, St. Louis, Mo.) buffer, pH 4.8, containing 0.1 M NaCl (0.4 mL); 1-ethyl-3-dimethylaminopropyl carbodiimide (EDC; 34.38 mg, 100:1 molar ratio; SIGMA-ALDRICH™) was added followed by 1,8-diamino-3,6-dioxaoctane (15 μL, 103 μmol; SIGMA-ALDRICH), and the reaction was maintained at pH 4.8 for 4 h at 22° C. The solution was adjusted to pH 7.0 and dialyzed against distilled water or desalted using a MICROSEP™ centrifugal device, 1,000 Da cutoff (PALL LIFE SCIENCES™, Ann Arbor, Mich.) and lyophilized.

The conjugation procedure was carried out essentially as described for oligosaccharides by Fernández-Santana et al. (1998). Briefly, the spacer-containing LPS-OH (2 mg, 0.4 μmol) or dLPS (2 mg, 0.5 μmol) was reacted with 3-maleimidopropionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (BMPS; 2 mg, 7.5 μmol; SIGMA-ALDRICH™) in dry DMSO for 24 h at 22° C. The solution was dialyzed against distilled water, and lyophilized.

For activation of BSA, 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid di(N-hydroxysuccinimide ester) (DTSP; 0.63 mg, 1.6 μmol; SIGMA-ALDRICH™) in dry DMSO, was added, under N₂ atmosphere, to a solution of bovine serum albumin (BSA) (molecular mass 66,320 Da) (8 mg, 0.12 μmol) previously dissolved in 10 mM PBS buffer, pH 8.0, containing 6 mM EDTA (final concentration 4 mg/mL), and the mixture was stirred for 2 h at 22° C. This was followed by addition of dithiothreitol (DTT; 7.12 mg, 46 μmol; SIGMA-ALDRICH™), under N₂ atmosphere, and the mixture was stirred for 1 h at 4° C. The resulting solution was dialyzed against 10 mM PBS buffer, pH 7.2, containing 5 mM EDTA in a stirred ultrafiltration cell (MILLIPORE™, Billerica, Mass.), using N₂ as a pressure source, over a regenerated cellulose membrane, 30,000 Da cutoff (YM30, MILLIPORE™) at 4° C. The protein and SH contents were determined by bicinchoninic acid protein assay kit (BCA; PIERCE™, Rockford, Ill.) and Ellman (1959) methods, respectively. A molar substitution of 20-22 SH groups was attained.

For the activation of tetanus toxoid (TT) (molecular mass, 150,000 Da), DTSP (0.316 mg, 0.8 μmol) in dry DMSO (25 μL) was added, under N₂ atmosphere, to a solution of TT (4 mg, 0.03 μmol) in 10 mM PBS buffer, pH 8.0, containing 6 mM EDTA (final concentration 4 mg/mL), and the reaction was allowed to proceed as described for BSA. This was followed by addition of dithiothreitol (DTT; 3.56 mg, 23 μmol; SIGMA-ALDRICH™), under N₂ atmosphere, and the mixture was stirred for 1 h at 4° C. Activated TT was transferred to a stirred ultrafiltration cell (MILLIPORE™) and dialyzed against 10 mM PBS buffer, pH 7.2, containing 5 mM EDTA over a regenerated cellulose membrane, 100,000 Da cutoff (YM100™, MILLIPORE™) at 4° C.

To a solution of BSA-SH₂₁₋₂₂ or TT-SH₂₁₋₂₂ in 10 mM PBS buffer, pH 7.2, containing 5 mM EDTA, a solution of maleimido-functionalized LPS-OH or dLPS derivative in 10 mM PBS buffer, pH 7.2, containing 5 mM EDTA (final concentration 4 mg/mL) (3:1 molar ratio) was added under N₂ atmosphere. The reaction was stirred for 24 h at 4° C. This was followed by addition of N-ethylmaleimide (1 mg; SIGMA-ALDRICH™). The reaction was allowed to proceed for 30 min at 22° C., and the resulting conjugate was dialyzed against 10 mM PBS buffer, pH 7.2, for 4 d at 4° C. and filter sterilized using 0.22 μm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane (MILLEX-GV™, MILLIPORE™, Cork, Ireland). Conjugates were analyzed for their carbohydrate and protein content using phenol sulfuric acid method for neutral sugars (Dubois et al., 1956) and BCA protein assay kit (PIERCE), respectively, with LPS-OH or dLPS and BSA as standards. The efficiency of conjugation was confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC; AGILENT 1200 SERIES™, AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES™, Waldbronn, Germany) using SUPEROSE 12 10/300 GL™ column (AMERSHAM BIOSCIENCES, Uppsala, Sweden) equilibrated with 10 mM PBS buffer pH 7.2. The chromatography was carried out at room temperature and at a flow rate 0.5 mL/min. The elution was monitored at 210 nm and 280 nm with diode array detector (AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES™).

The presence of a spacer was confirmed by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy by the appearance of a new proton resonance at 3.22 ppm, corresponding to CH₂NH₂ group. The amine group of the spacer molecule was further derivatized by reaction with 3-maleimidopropionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester to yield maleimido-functionalized LPS-OH or dLPS, as confirmed by the presence of proton resonances at 2.55 ppm and 6.9 ppm, corresponding to CH_(2α) and CH═CH groups of β-maleimidopropionate, respectively (FIG. 4). Derivatization of phosphoethanolamine of the inner core LD-Hep was kept to a minimum by using stoichiometric amounts of the reagent. The glycoconjugate was obtained through thiolation of a carrier protein and addition of the thiolated protein to the maleimido-functionalized LPS-OH or dLPS (FIG. 4). The efficiency of conjugation was monitored by HPLC. The resultant conjugate was analyzed for its carbohydrate and protein content.

The molar ratio of LPS-OH to TT in three conjugates ranged from 10:1 to 20:1, and the yield ranged from 13% to 22%, based on the carbohydrate content (Table 5). Conjugation of dLPS to BSA or TT yielded dLPS-BSA-2, dLPS-TT or dLPS(PJ2)-TT conjugates with significantly higher carbohydrate content (Table 5). Both LPS-OH-TT and dLPS-BSA or dLPS-TT conjugates reacted equally well with α1,6-glucan-specific mAbs by ELISA suggesting that the conformation of the glucan epitope was unchanged.

Example 6 Immunogenicity of LPS-OH-TT, dLPS-BSA, dLPS-TT Conjugates and dLPS(PJ2)-TT Conjugates in Mice and Rabbits

The immunogenicity of the conjugates (LPS-OH-TT, dLPS-BSA, dLPS-TT, and dLPS(PJ2)-TT) of Example 5 was tested in mice and rabbits.

Five 6-8 week old female BALB/c mice were immunised intraperitoneally with appropriate conjugates. Each mouse received 2 μg or 10 μg of carbohydrate in 0.2 mL Ribi adjuvant per injection. The mice were boosted on day 21 and 42 and sera recovered after terminal heart puncture on day 51.

Three New Zealand white rabbits were immunised subcutaneously with appropriate conjugates. Each rabbit received 10 μg or 50 μg of carbohydrate in 0.5 mL Incomplete Freunds adjuvant. The rabbits were boosted on day 28 and 56 and sera recovered after exsanguination on day 65.

The level of anti-LPS antibody in serum was measured by ELISA in which purified LPS was used as a coating antigen (1 μg/well). After washing with PBS, the plates were blocked with 1% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA) in PBS or Milk Diluent/blocking solution (MDB) (KPL™, Gaithersburg, Md.) for 1 h at 37° C. Diluted mouse or rabbit pre- or post-immune sera were added, and the plates were incubated for 2 h at 37° C. For inhibition ELISA, serial dilutions of inhibiting 26695 HP0479::Kan LPS or 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS were mixed with previously determined dilution of rabbit sera that gave OD₄₅₀=0.6-0.8. This mixture was incubated for 15 min at 22° C. and then transferred to the original microtiter plate blocked with adsorbed LPS antigen, where it was incubated for another 2 h at 37° C. After this step, the indirect ELISA procedure was followed. Briefly, the plates were washed with PBS and the second antibody, a goat anti-mouse IgG-IgM horseradish peroxidase conjugate (CALTAG™, So. San Francisco, Calif.) was added for 1 h at room temperature. After a final washing step, 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidene (TMB) (KPL™, Gaithersburg, Md.) substrate was added and the reaction was stopped with 1 M phosphoric acid. The absorbance was determined at 450 nm using a microtiter plate reader (DYNATECH™, Chantilly, Va.).

The percentage inhibition was calculated using the following formula: % inhibition=100×[(OD with inhibitor−OD without inhibitor)/OD without inhibitor]

Inhibition versus log concentration curves were plotted for each inhibitor, and the concentrations required for the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) were determined from extrapolation curves.

All conjugates elicited an IgG response against LPS from the homologous (26695 HP0826::Kan) and corresponding wild-type (26695) strains in both rabbits and mice after three injections (Tables 6 to 9) although the response was generally weaker in LPS-OH-TT immunized mice and rabbits than in animals immunized with either dLPS-BSA, dLPS-TT or dLPS(PJ2)-TT. Control rabbits immunized with a mixture of either LPS-OH, dLPS or dLPS(PJ2) and a protein carrier (with an adjuvant) showed no or low level specific response to LPS from the homologous strain (26695 HP0826::Kan mutant) or corresponding wild-type 26695 strain of H. pylori after three immunizations.

Cross-reactivity studies were performed with the post-immune sera of rabbits immunized with either LPS-OH-TT-2, LPS-OH-TT-3, LPS-OH-TT-4, dLPS-BSA-2, dLPS-TT, or dLPS(PJ2) against LPS from H. pylori strains representative of various LPS glycotypes (Monteiro, 2001) and selected mutant strains. Results are shown in Tables 10, 11 and 12.

The reactivity of post-immune sera obtained from rabbits that were immunized with LPS-OH-TT-2, LPS-OH-TT-3, or LPS-OH-TT-4 was indicative of the requirement for the presence of α1,6-glucan since only weak cross-reactivity was obtained with SS1 and SS1 HP0826::Kan LPS, these being representative of H. pylori strains unable to add α1,6-glucan (Logan et al., 2005) (Table 10). Surprisingly, sera obtained from rabbits that were immunized with dLPS-TT also recognized core LPS epitopes that did not contain any α1,6-glucan, namely LPS from strains SS1, SS1 HP0826::Kan, M6 and J99 (Table 11), showing a broader core recognition and inferring that dLPS-TT conjugate was more immunogenic, possibly due to the presence of TT carrier protein (Table 11). Alternatively, as the conjugates were prepared from a mixture of 3 glycoforms, the immune response may have been generated to other minor LPS components; this could explain the observed cross-reactions.

To probe the binding specificity of rabbit sera elicited by dLPS-TT conjugate, inhibition ELISA was conducted with purified 26695 HP0479::Kan LPS consisting of two glycoforms (approx. ratio 1:1), a linear backbone oligosaccharide structure and a linear backbone oligosaccharide capped with [GlcNAc, Fuc] (Hiratsuka et al., 2005), and 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS. Binding of rabbit sera to glucan-negative LPS from strains SS1, SS1 HP0826::Kan HP0159::Kan and 551 HP0479::Kan (FIG. 6) was significantly inhibited when 26695 HP0479::Kan LPS was used as an inhibitor, while 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS was the most effective inhibitor when 26695 LPS was used as a coating antigen (FIG. 6).

The ability of rabbit post-immune sera to recognize heterologous typeable and non-typeable strains was also validated in the whole cell indirect ELISA (WCE) against selected clinical isolates of H. pylori representatives of both typeable and non-typeable strains of H. pylori. The whole-cell indirect ELISA (WCE) was performed as previously described (Altman et al., 2008). Briefly, the wells of a microtiter plate were coated with 100 μL of a bacterial suspension, 10⁸ cells/mL, overnight, at 4° C. The wells were then fixed with methanol and blocked with 200 μL of Milk Diluent/Blocking solution (MDB) (KPL™, Gaithersburg, Md.) for 2 h at 37° C. Subsequently, the wells were incubated for 2 h at 37° C. with 100 μL of 1C4F9 ascites diluted 1:500 in MDB, followed by anti-mouse IgG IgM horseradish peroxidase (UCALTAG™) diluted 1:1,000 in MDB for 1 h at room temperature. The substrate TMB was added as described for indirect ELISA. The non-specific background values were determined as OD₄₅₀ of the negative control wells containing bacterial cells, secondary antibody conjugate and substrate. These OD₄₅₀ values were ≦0.2. The optical density values of OD₄₅₀<0.2 were classified as negative and OD₄₅₀ values 0.2 were classified as positive reactions. To ensure plate to plate consistency H. pylori strain 26695 cells were used as a positive control. Assays did not vary by more than 10%.

Sera derived from rabbits that were immunized with dLPS-TT conjugate showed the strongest cross-reactivity to all strains tested (Table 13) using whole cell indirect ELISA.

Example 7 Bactericidal Activity of Rabbit Antisera

A bactericidal assay using pre- or post-vaccinated rabbit sera (Example 6) was performed.

Plate-grown H. pylori cells were harvested and washed with 5 mL of PBS per plate. Following centrifugation, pellets were suspended in 25 mL of PBS. The final bacterial suspension was diluted in Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS) (INVITROGEN™, Grand Island, N.Y.) at 4×10⁶ CFU/mL. The bactericidal assay was performed in a flat-bottomed microtiter plate (ICN). A ten-fold serial dilution of de-complemented pre- or post-immune sera (50 μL) was added to each well. Bacterial suspension (25 μL) was then added and pre-incubated for 15 min at 37° C. Baby rabbit complement (CEDARLANE LABORATORIES™, Hornby, ON) was diluted 1:50 and 25 μL was added to the appropriate wells. The plate was incubated for 45 min at 37° C. and then placed on ice. A 10 μL aliquot was plated in triplicate on Columbia blood agar, grown for 4 days, and then the plates were counted to measure the number of colony forming units (CFU). The control plate with bacteria and complement but without sera was used to calculate the percentage killing. The bactericidal activity was determined as the highest dilution of sera that caused 50% killing.

Pre-vaccination sera or sera obtained from rabbits immunized with a mixture of a protein carrier and either LPS-OH, dLPS, or dLPS(PJ2) (with an adjuvant) showed no or low levels of bactericidal activity against the homologous H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan or wild-type 26695 strains. The post-immune sera obtained from rabbits immunized with LPS-OH-TT-4, dLPS-BSA-2, dLPS-TT and dLPS(PJ2)-TT showed significant functional activity against both 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant and corresponding wild-type strains (Table 14) with postvaccination sera from rabbits immunized with dLPS-TT conjugate exhibiting the highest functional activity against wild-type strain 26695 (Table 14).

Furthermore, bactericidal activity of the rabbit sera was also tested against selected clinical isolates of H. pylori, namely strains 002CL, 0153CL and 058CL (Altman et al., 2008). These isolates were selected as representatives of high, medium and low binders based on their OD₄₅₀ values in WCE assays with anti-α1,6-glucan mAbs: strain 002CL-OD₄₅₀ 1.361, high binder; strain 153CL-OD₄₅₀ 0.29, medium binder; and strain 058CL-OD₄₅₀ 0.162, low binder. It is important to emphasize that only the post-immune sera from rabbits immunized with either dLPS-TT or dLPS(PJ2)-TT conjugate showed functional activity with all three clinical isolates tested (Table 15).

Example 8 Protection Studies by dLPS-TT Conjugate in Mice

The potential of dLPS-TT conjugate as a candidate vaccine was evaluated in outbred CD-1 mice.

Groups of 5 CD-1 mice were vaccinated four times intranasally at weekly intervals with 25 μg/mouse dLPS-TT conjugate, adjuvanted with 1 μg/mouse cholera toxin (CT; SIGMA™), 31.5 μg/mouse PJ2 cell-free sonicate adjuvanted with 1 μg/mouse cholera toxin (control), or saline (control). One week after the last immunization, serum, fecal and vaginal wash samples were collected and assayed for H. pylori-specific IgG and IgA. Serum IgG and serum, fecal and vaginal IgA antibody levels were determined by standard ELISA. Plates were coated with 1 μg/well H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS as described herein. Serum samples were diluted 1:100 for IgG and 1:50 for IgA assay. Fecal samples were diluted 1:2 and vaginal samples were diluted 1:20. H. pylori-specific antibody levels were determined and the data was analyzed by Mann-Whitney analysis, using GRAPHPAD™ software version 5.0.

Five weeks after the first immunization, mice were orally gavaged three times every other day with ˜10⁸ cfu H. pylori strain PJ2 (Altman et al., 2003). Four weeks later, mice were killed and viable bacteria from their stomachs were enumerated and the data were analyzed by Mann Whitney test, using GRAPHPAD™ software version 5.0.

Intranasal immunization with dLPS-TT conjugate plus CT elicited a very strong H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS-specific IgG response as measured by ELISA and moderate H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS-specific serum IgA was also detected (Tables 16 and 17, FIG. 7). In addition, H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS-specific IgA responses in vaginal or fecal samples were also detected (p<0.01) (Table 17, FIG. 7).

All groups of mice were subsequently inoculated orogastrically with non-typeable H. pylori mouse-colonizing strain PJ2 previously shown to contain a long α1,6-glucan (Altman et al., 2003). Protection is defined as statistically significant decrease in bacterial load in vaccinated groups compared to control groups. The colonization data for groups of mice immunized intranasally with dLPS-TT conjugate plus CT was statistically significant (p<0.05) (FIG. 8). Moreover, these data suggest that H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS-specific serum IgA responses alone may not be sufficient for protection against bacterial challenge and that LPS-specific serum IgG responses may also contribute to increased protection.

Example 9 Preparation and Characterization of Dextran-BSA Conjugate and Immunogenicity and Functional Activity Studies

Dextran-BSA conjugate was prepared by dissolving 10 mg Dextran T5 (MW 5 KDa, PHARMACOSMOS A/S™, Holbaek, Denmark) in 250 μL of 0.2 M borate buffer, pH 9.0; this was added to a solution (250 μL) containing 1,8-diamino-3,6-dioxaoctane (25 μL) and sodium cyanoborohydride (10 mg) in 0.2 M borate buffer, pH 9.0 (as described by Roy et al., 1984). The reaction was carried out for 5 days at 55° C. The reaction product was purified as described above for preparation of LPS-based conjugates.

This reaction results in the introduction of a spacer. The amine group of the spacer molecule was further derivatized by reaction with 3-maleimidopropionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester as described for LPS-based conjugates (see Example 5). The glycoconjugate was obtained through thiolation of a carrier protein and addition of the thiolated protein to the maleimido-functionalized Dextran T5. The molar ratio of Dextran to BSA in the conjugate was 20:1, and the yield was 32%, based on the carbohydrate content.

Cross-reactivity studies were performed with post-immune sera of rabbits immunized with Dextran-BSA against LPS from H. pylori strains representative of various LPS glycotypes and selected mutant strains (Table 18).

The reactivity of post-immune sera obtained from rabbits that were immunized with Dextran-BSA was indicative of the requirement for the presence of α1,6-glucan since no cross-reactivity was obtained with glucan-negative strains SS1 and SS1 HP0826::Kan. The post-immune sera obtained from rabbits immunized with Dextran-BSA showed functional activity against both 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant and corresponding wild-type strain (Table 19).

The ability of rabbit post-immune sera to recognize heterologous typeable and non-typeable strains and induce bactericidal antibodies indicates the possibility that a conjugate consisting of Dextran, a polymer containing a linear backbone of α1,6-linked glucose repeating units, or a conjugate comprising optimized linear oligosaccharidels consisting of consecutive α1,6-linked glucose residues, and a suitable protein carrier could be sufficient to confer protection against H. pylori infection.

Example 10 Specificity Studies of Anti-glucan mAbs

Monoclonal antibodies specific to H. pylori strain O:3 HP0826::Kan were produced and their specificities studied.

Hybridomas were produced as previously described (Altman et al., 2005). Six BALB/c mice (Charles River Laboratories, St Constant, QC) were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 10⁸ cells (200 μL) formalin-fixed cells of H. pylori strain O:3 HP0826::Kan 5 times over 82 days to achieve significant titer. A final intravenous (i.v.) injection was given and was followed 3 days later by fusion. The spleen cells of two mice were fused with an Sp2/O plasmacytoma cell line according to Kohler and Milstein (1975). Initial fusion supernatants from 368 wells were screened by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

For hybridoma screening by ELISA, microtiter plates (ICN™, Costa Mesa, Calif.) were coated with 10 μg/mL of corresponding H. pylori O:3 HP0826::Kan LPS in 50 mM carbonate buffer, pH 9.8, for 3 h at 37° C. After washing with PBS, the plates were blocked with 5% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA) in PBS. Spent supernatants were added, and the plates were incubated for 3 h at room temperature. The plates were washed with PBS and the second antibody, a goat anti-mouse IgG+IgM horseradish peroxidase conjugate (CALTAG™, So. San Francisco, Calif.) was added for 1 h at room temperature. After a final washing step, 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidene (TMB) (KPL™, Gaithersburg, Md.) substrate was added, and the reaction was stopped with 1 M phosphoric acid. The absorbance was determined at 450 nm using a microtiter plate reader (DYNATECH™, Chantilly, Va.). After this step, the indirect ELISA procedure was followed as described in Example 6.

Two stable hybridomas were obtained following limited dilution cloning. One clone, 1 C4F9, an IgM, was selected for further characterization. Ascitic fluid was raised in BALB/c mice, and 1C4F9 monoclonal antibody (mAb) was purified from ascitic fluid using an IgM-specific affinity column (PIERCE™, Rockford, Ill.) according to the manufacturer's protocol.

Studies of the specificity of the glucan-specific antibody were carried out using a series of linear oligosaccharides consisting of consecutive α1,6-linked glucose residues Glc→[α(1→6)Glc]_(n=1-6) and selective purified H. pylori LPS. For inhibition ELISA, serial dilutions of linear α1,6-linked glucose-containing oligosaccharides from isomalto-series [Glcα1→(6Glcα1→)_(n=1-6)] (USBIOLOGICALS™, Swampscott, Miss.) or H. pylori 26695, O:3 and PJ2 LPS inhibitors were prepared and mixed with previously prepared dilutions of purified 1 C4F9 that gave an OD₄₅₀=1. Following the incubation (22° C., 15 min), this mixture was transferred to the original blocked microtiter plate with adsorbed LPS antigen, where it was incubated for another 2 h at 37° C. After this step, the indirect ELISA procedure was followed as described in Example 6. The percentage inhibition was calculated using the following formula: % inhibition=100×[(OD with inhibitor−OD without inhibitor)/OD without inhibitor]

Inhibition versus log concentration curves were plotted for each inhibitor, and the concentrations required for the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) were determined from extrapolation curves.

The inhibitory properties optimized when using isomaltohexaose (n=5) and isomaltoheptaose (n=6) (Table 20). H. pylori PJ2 LPS previously shown to contain on average between six and eight residues in the glucan chain (Altman et al., 2003) was the most effective inhibitor (Table 20).

Example 11 Accessibility Studies and Bactericidal Assays Using Anti-Glucan mAbs

Anti-glucan mAbs were readily accessible on the surface of live bacteria from representative H. pylori strains as demonstrated by indirect IF microscopy studies (Table 21). Both α1,6-glucan and CagA could be differentiated on the bacterial surface simultaneously.

To determine bactericidal activity of the monoclonal antibody, a ten-fold serial dilution of 1C4F9 mAb from de-complemented ascites (50 μL) was added to each well followed by bacterial suspension (25 μL) and pre-incubated far 15 min at 37° C. After this step, the procedure was followed as described in Example 7. The cell surface binding of 1C4F9 correlated with functional activity as determined by bactericidal assays against wild-type and mutant strains of H. pylori (Table 21).

Example 12 Inhibition ELISA with Isomaltoheptaose

To confirm the ability of post-immune rabbit sera to recognize α1,6-glucan epitope of the outer core region of H. pylori LPS, inhibition ELISA was conducted with isomaltoheptaose, a linear oligosaccharide containing 6 consecutive α1,6-glucose residues {Glc→[α(1→6)Glc]_(n) n=6}, and purified H. pylori LPS as a coating antigen. We reasoned that since α1,6-glucan in the lipopolysaccharide is on average 10 glucose residues long, this oligosaccharide would be able to bind α1,6-glucan-specific polyclonal antibodies in the post-immune rabbit sera and inhibit the binding of sera to LPS. Purified LPS from four wild-type H. pylori strains were tested: 2 Lewis-positive strains, 26695 and O:3, and 2 non-typeable, Lewis-negative clinical isolates, PJ1 and PJ2. Binding of dLPS-TT rabbit sera to α1,6-glucan-positive H. pylori LPS from typeable and non-typeable strains was reduced by 43% to 49% at inhibitory concentration of isomaltoheptaose 3.2 mg/mL (FIG. 12).

These findings demonstrate that close to half of a polyclonal response could be attributed to the recognition of α1,6-glucan epitope in the dLPS-TT conjugate, as demonstrated by inhibition ELISA with isomaltoheptaose, an oligosaccharide inhibitor containing 6 consecutive α-1,6-linked glucose residues, and the purified LPS from several α1,6-glucan-positive typeable and non-typeable strains of H. pylori as a coating antigen. This oligosaccharide was previously shown to be an excellent inhibitor of α1,6-glucan-specific 1C4F9 mAb binding to H. pylori O:3 HP0826::Kan LPS (Harrison et al., 2011).

The level of anti-LPS antibody in serum was measured by ELISA as described (Altman et al., 2008). For inhibition ELISA, serial dilutions of inhibiting isomaltoheptaose were mixed with previously determined dilution of rabbit sera that gave OD₄₅₀=0.6−0.8. Following the incubation (22° C., 15 min), this mixture was transferred to the original blocked microtiter plate with adsorbed LPS antigen, where it was incubated for another 2 h at 37° C. After this step, the indirect ELISA procedure was followed. The percentage inhibition was calculated using the following formula: % inhibition=100×[(OD with inhibitor−OD without inhibitor)/OD without inhibitor]. Inhibition versus log concentration curves were plotted for each inhibitor, and the concentrations required for the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) were determined from extrapolation curves.

Example 13 Materials and Methods for Dextran-Based Conjugates Bacterial Strains and Growth Conditions

H. pylori strain 26695 was obtained from Dr. R. Alm, ASTRA ZENECA™, Boston, Mass., H. pylori O:3 isolate was from Dr. J. Penner, SS1 from Dr. A. Lee (The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia), PJ1 and PJ2 clinical isolates are fresh clinical isolate from Dr. W. Conlan, NRC-IBS. Construction by allelic exchange of H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan and O:3 HP0826::Kan, O-chain-deficient mutants, was described previously (Logan et al., 2000).

Cells were grown at 37° C. on antibiotic-supplemented Columbia Blood agar (DIFCO™) plates containing 7% horse blood in microaerophilic environment for 48 h as previously described (Hiratsuka et al., 2005). For growth of H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan and O:3 HP0826::Kan, Columbia Blood agar/horse blood plates and Brucella broth, containing 10% fetal bovine serum, were supplemented with kanamycin (20 μg/mL), in addition to other antibiotics Hiratsuka et al., 2005).

LPS Isolation and Delipidation

The wet cell mass obtained by centrifugation of the bacterial growth was washed twice successively with ethanol, acetone and light petroleum ether and air-dried and LPS extracted by hot phenol-water extraction procedure and purified as described previously (Hiratsuka et al., 2005). LPS was obtained from the aqueous phase after extensive dialysis and lyophilization. H. pylori LPS was further purified by ultracentrifugation (105,000×g, 4° C., 12 h), and the pellet was suspended in distilled water and lyophilized.

Purification and Characterization of Dextrans

Dextran T5 (MW 5 KDa), Dextran T3.5 (MW 3.5 KDa) and Dextran T1.5 (MW 1.5 KDa), all from PHARMACOSMOS A/S™ (Holbaek, Denmark), were dialyzed against distilled water using dialysis membrane, 1,000 Da cutoff (Spectra/Por, SPECTRUM LABORATORIES INC., Rancho Dominguez, Calif., USA), and lyophilized. The recovered material was characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) spectrometry and methylation analysis (Altman et al., 2003).

MALDI-TOF

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra were obtained using a 4800 MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometer (APPLIED BIOSYSTEMS™, Foster City, Calif., U.S.A.). The instrument was operated in a positive, reflectron ion mode under delayed extraction conditions using an accelerating voltage of 25,000 V. Each spectrum is the average of approximately 150 laser shots. The matrix used was di-hydroxy-benzoic acid (DHB), prepared at a concentration of 10 μg/mL in 50:50 methanol/water solution (v/v), and these samples were diluted up to 1:20 with matrix prior to sample spotting.

NMR Spectroscopy

¹H-NMR spectra were performed on a VARIAN™ 400 MHz spectrometer using standard software. All NMR experiments were performed at 25° C. using a 5 mm indirect detection probe with the ¹H coil nearest to the sample. The methyl resonance of acetone was used as an internal reference at δ 2.225 ppm.

Preparation of Conjugates

Each dextran (10 mg) was dissolved in 250 μL of 0.2 M borate buffer, pH 9.0; this was added to a solution (250 μL) containing 1,8-diamino-3,6-dioxaoctane (25 μL) and sodium cyanoborohydride (10 mg) in 0.2 M borate buffer, pH 9.0, as described by Roy et al. (Roy et al., 1984). The reaction was carried out for 5 days at 55° C. The reaction product was purified by gel permeation chromatography on Bio-Gel P-2 column (PHAMACIA™) using distilled water as the eluant. Fractions were collected and analyzed for their carbohydrate and amino group content using phenol sulfuric acid method for neutral sugars (Dubois et al., 1956) and free amino group content by trinitrophenyl sulfonic acid (TNBS) method (Fields, 1972) and by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry.

The amine group of the spacer molecule was further derivatized by reaction with 3-maleimidopropionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester as described for LPS-based conjugates. Briefly, the spacer-containing dextran (2 mg) was reacted with 3-maleimidopropionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (BMPS; 2 mg; SIGMA-ALDRICH™) in dry DMSO for 24 h at 22° C. The solution was dialyzed against distilled water using dialysis membrane with molecular weight cut off of 1,000 Da (Spectra/Por) and lyophilized.

The conjugation procedure was carried out essentially as described for oligosaccharides by Fernandez-Santana et al. (Fernandez-Santana et al., 1998). The glycoconjugate was obtained through thiolation of tetanus toxoid and addition of a thiolated protein to the maleimido-functionalized dextran as described herein. Conjugates were analyzed for their carbohydrate and protein content using phenol sulfuric acid method for neutral sugars (Dubois et al., 1956) and BCA protein assay kit (PIERCE™), respectively, with glucose and BSA as standards. The efficiency of conjugation was confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC; ALGIENT 1200™ series, ALGIENT TECHNOLOGIES™, Waldbronn, Germany) using SUPEROSE 12™ 10/300 GL column (AMERSHAM BIOSCIENCES™, Uppsala, Sweden) equilibrated with 10 mM PBS buffer pH 7.2. The chromatography was carried out at room temperature and at a flow rate 0.5 mL/min. The elution was monitored at 210 nm and 280 nm with diode array detector (ALGIENT TECHNOLOGIES).

Immunogenicity of Conjugates in Mice and Rabbits

The immunogenicity of conjugates was tested in mice and rabbits. Five 6-8 week old female CD1 mice were immunized intraperitoneally with appropriate conjugates. Each mouse received 2 μg or 10 μg of carbohydrate in 0.2 mL Ribi adjuvant per injection. The mice were boosted on day 21 and 42 and sera recovered after terminal heart puncture on day 51.

Three New Zealand white rabbits were immunized subcutaneously with appropriate conjugates. Each rabbit received 10 μg or 20 μg of carbohydrate in 0.5 mL Incomplete Freunds adjuvant. The rabbits were boosted on day 28 and 56 and sera recovered after exsanguination on day 65.

The level of anti-LPS antibody in serum was measured by ELISA in which purified LPS was used as a coating antigen (1 μg/well). After washing with PBS, the plates were blocked with 1% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA) in PBS or Milk Diluent/blocking solution (MDB) (KPL™, Gaithersburg, Md.) for 1 h at 37° C. Diluted mouse or rabbit pre- or post-immune sera were added, and the plates were incubated for 2 h at 37° C. For inhibition ELISA, serial dilutions of inhibiting 26695 HP0479::Kan LPS were mixed with previously determined dilution of rabbit sera that gave OD₄₅₀=0.6-0.8. This mixture was incubated for 15 min at 22° C. and then transferred to the original microtiter plate blocked with adsorbed LPS antigen, where it was incubated for another 2 h at 37° C. The plates were washed with PBS and the second antibody, a goat anti-mouse IgG-IgM horseradish peroxidase conjugate (CLATAG™, So. San Francisco, Calif.) was added. The plates were incubated for 1 h at room temperature. After a final washing step, 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidene (TMB) (KPL™, Gaithersburg, Md.) substrate was added, and the reaction was stopped with 1 M phosphoric acid. The absorbance was determined at 450 nm using a microtiter plate reader (Dynatech, Chantilly, Va.). The percentage inhibition was calculated using the following formula: % inhibition=100×[(OD with inhibitor−OD without inhibitor)/OD without inhibitor]. Inhibition versus log concentration curves were plotted for each inhibitor, and the concentrations required for the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) were determined from extrapolation curves.

Indirect Immunofluorescent (IF) Microscopy

Gastric adenocarcinoma cells (AGS) (ATCC CRL1739; American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Va.) cells were grown to confluency in 4-well Lab-Tek chamber slides (NUNC™, Naperville, Ill.). H. pylori strain 26695, O:3 or PJ2 at 10⁸ CFU/mL was added to each well, and the slides were incubated for 1 h at 37° C. Each well was then washed three times to remove non-adherent bacteria and then fixed with methanol for 5 min and left to dry. All subsequent steps were done at 4° C., and wells were washed three times after each step. Each well was blocked for 1 h with 1% BSA blocking solution (KPL™). Rabbit post-immune sera, diluted 1:100 in 0.1 mM PBS solution containing 0.1% BSA, was added and allowed to incubate for 18 h. Goat anti-rabbit IgG fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugate (CALTAG™) was added for 1 h. Chambers were removed from slide and then a cover slip was applied after adding 25 μL of PROLONG™ antifade solution (MOLECULAR PROBES™, Eugene, Oreg.). The slides were stored at 4° C. in the dark. Fluorescent images were obtained using an AXIOVERT™ 200M (ZEISS™) inverted microscope.

Bactericidal Assay

Plate-grown H. pylori cells were harvested and washed with 5 mL of PBS per plate. Following centrifugation, pellets were suspended in 25 mL of PBS. The final bacterial suspension was diluted in DULBECCO™'s phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS) (INVITROGEN™, Grand Island, N.Y.) at 4×10⁶ CFU/mL. The assay was performed in a flat-bottomed microtiter plate (ICN™). A ten-fold serial dilution of decomplemented pre- or post-immune sera (50 μL) was added to each well. Bacterial suspension (25 μL) was then added and preincubated for 15 min at 37° C. Baby rabbit complement (CEDARLANE LABORATORIES™, Hornby, ON) was diluted 1:50 or 1:100 and 25 μL was added to the appropriate wells. The plate was incubated for 45 min at 37° C. and then placed on ice. A 10 μL aliquot was plated in triplicate on Columbia Blood agar, grown for 4 days at 37° C., and then the plates were counted to measure the number of colony forming units (CFU). The control plate with bacteria and complement but without sera was used to calculate the percentage killing. The bactericidal activity was determined as the highest dilution of sera that caused 50% killing.

Results

Purification and Characterization of Dextrans

Dextran T5 (MW 5 KDa), Dextran T3.5 (MW 3.5 KDa) and Dextran T1.5 (MW 1.5 KDa) were dissolved in distilled water (20 mg/mL), dialyzed using dialysis membrane with 1,000 Da cutoff (Spectra/Por) to remove lower molecular mass components and lyophilized. Dialyzed and lyophilized dextrans were subjected to structural characterization by methylation analysis and MALDI-TOF. Methylation analysis was consistent with the presence of a linear α1,6-glucan polymer with α-1,2-, α1,3 and α-1,4-linked branches (Table 22). In addition, methylation analysis of Dextran-3.5K indicated the presence of a few α1,3- and α-1,4-linked linear D-glucose residues (Maina et al., 2003). MALDI-TOF analysis indicated the presence of a mixture of oligosaccharides of various lengths consistent with the consecutive addition of Hex residues (FIG. 9).

Preparation and Characterization of Conjugates

Conjugates were prepared as described herein. Briefly, reducing end glucose residue of dextran was reacted with 1,8-diamino-4,6-dioxaoctane by reductive amination procedure using sodium cyanoborohydrate (Roy et al., 1984). The presence of a spacer was confirmed by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy by the appearance of a new proton resonance at 3.22 ppm, corresponding to CH₂NH₂ group (FIG. 10). The amine group of the spacer was further derivatized by reaction with 3-maleimidopropionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide to yield maleimido-functionalized dextran as described herein for LPS-OH or dLPS of H. pylori, as confirmed by the presence of proton resonances at 2.55 ppm and 6.9 ppm, corresponding to CH_(2α) and CH═CH groups of β-maleimidopropionate, respectively (FIG. 10). The glycoconjugate was obtained through thiolation of a carrier protein and addition of the thiolated protein to the maleimido-functionalized dextran as described above for LPS-OH or dLPS of H. pylori. The efficiency of conjugation was monitored by HPLC. The resultant conjugate was analyzed for its carbohydrate and protein content.

The ratio of carbohydrate to protein in three conjugates ranged from 0.96:1 to 0.67:1 (w/w), and the yield ranged from 48% to 38%, based on the carbohydrate content (Table 23). Dextran-5K-TT, Dextran-3.5K-TT and Dextran-1.5K-TT conjugates reacted equally well with α1,6-glucan-specific mAbs by ELISA suggesting that the conformation of the glucan epitope was unchanged.

Immunogenicity of Dextran-5K-TT, Dextran-3.5K-TT and Dextran-1.5K-TT Conjugates in Mice and Rabbits

All conjugates elicited IgG responses against H. pylori LPS from α1,6-glucan-positive H. pylori strains, 26695 HP0826::Kan and corresponding wild-type 26695, in both mice and rabbits after three injections. Control rabbits immunized with a mixture of relevant dextran and a protein carrier (with an adjuvant) showed no or low level specific responses to these LPS after three immunizations (Table 24).

Cross-reactivity studies were performed with Dextran-5K-TT, Dextran-3.5K-TT and Dextran-1.5K-TT rabbit post-immune sera against LPS from wild-type H. pylori strains representative of various LPS glycotypes (Altman et al., 2003; Monteiro, 2001) and selected mutants (Logan et al., 2000; Logan et al., 2005) (Table 25). The reactivity of rabbit post-immune sera was indicative of the requirement for the presence of α1,6-glucan since only weak immune responses were obtained against LPS from α1,6-glucan-negative H. pylori strains, SS1, SS1 HP0826::Kan and 26695 HP0159::Kan (Table 26). When post-immune sera of mice immunized with dextran-based conjugates was screened against the same LPS panel, some cross-reactivity with LPS from α1,6-glucan-negative H. pylori strains SS1 HP0159::Kan, SS1 and SS1 HP0826::Kan (Logan et al., 2000; Logan et al., 2005; Altman et al., in press; Altman et al., submitted) was observed, suggesting that a small population of murine antibodies was raised against terminal non-reducing glucose residues of dextrans (Table 26). To probe the binding specificity of mouse sera, inhibition ELISA was conducted with purified 26695 HP0479::Kan LPS, an isogenic mutant lacking O-chain polysaccharide and an outer core region and expressing a linear backbone oligosaccharide structure partially capped with [GlcNAc, Fuc] (Hiratsuka et al., 2005). Inhibition of binding of LPS from α1,6-glucan-negative H. pylori strains 26695 HP0159::Kan, SS1 and SS1 HP0826::Kan was observed (Table 27).

Indirect Immunofluorescent (IF) Microscopy of H. pylori Binding to Dextran-3.5K-TT Post-Immune Rabbit Sera

To determine if sera obtained from rabbits immunized with dextran-based conjugates recognizes surface exposed epitopes on the intact H. pylori, indirect IF microscopy studies were carried out with Dextran-3.5K-TT post-immune rabbit sera. Rabbit serum IgG bound to the surface of all representative wild-type H. pylori strains tested, namely 26695, O:3 and PJ2, as indicated by fluorescently labeled bacteria bound to the surface of AGS cells (FIG. 11).

Bactericidal Activity of Rabbit Antisera

The post-immune sera obtained from rabbits immunized with Dextran-5K-TT, Dextran-3.5K-TT and Dextran-1.5K-TT showed significant functional activity against H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant and corresponding wild-type strain 26695 (Table 28). Prevaccination sera or sera obtained from rabbits immunized with a mixture of the corresponding dextran and tetanus toxoid (with an adjuvant) showed no or low levels of bactericidal activity against these strains.

Example 14 Preparation of Dextran-3.5K-DT Conjugates Methods and Methods

Dextran-3.5K was reacted with 1,8-diamino-3,6-dioxaoctane as described previously for preparation of dextran-TT conjugates, and the reaction product was purified by gel permeation chromatography on Bio-Gel P-2. The amine group of the spacer was further derivatized by reaction with 3-maleimidopropionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide to yield maleimido-functionalized dextran as described previously for LPS-OH or dLPS of H. pylori, as confirmed by the presence of proton resonances at 2.55 ppm and 6.9 ppm, corresponding to C_(2α) and CH═CH groups of β-maleimidopropionate, respectively.

For activation of diphtheria toxoid (DT), 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid di(N-hydroxysuccinimide ester) (DTSP; 1.26 mg; Sigma-Aldrich) in dry DMSO (50 μl), was added, under N₂ atmosphere, to a solution of DT (8 mg) in 10 mM PBS buffer, pH 8.0, containing 6 mM EDTA, and the mixture was stirred for 3 h at 22° C., the conjugation procedure was carried out essentially as described for oligosaccharides by Fernandez-Santana et al. (Fernandez-Santana et al., 1998). The protein and SH contents were determined by bicinchoninic acid protein assay kit (BCA; Pierce, Rockford, Ill.) and Ellman (Ellman, 1959) methods, respectively. An average molar substitution of 4-SH groups was attained. The glycoconjugate was obtained through addition of a thiolated DT to the maleimido-functionalized Dextran-3.5K as described previously. To investigate the relationship between dextran loading and immunogenicity, two conjugates with different loading values of Dextran-3.5K on DT were prepared with molar ratios of Dextran-3.5K to DT 55:1 and 16:1, respectively (based on the average molecular mass of DT of 59,658 Da as determined by MALDI) (FIG. 13). The efficiency of conjugation was confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC; Agilent 1200 series, Agilent Technologies, Waldbronn, Germany) using Superose 12 10/300 GL column (Amersham Biosciences, Uppsala, Sweden) equilibrated with 10 mM PBS buffer pH 7.2. The chromatography was carried out at room temperature and at a flow rate 0.5 mL/min. The elution was monitored at 210 nm and 280 nm with diode array detector (Agilent Technologies). The final conjugate was analyzed for its carbohydrate and protein content using phenol sulfuric acid method for neutral sugars (Dubois et al., 1956) and BCA protein assay kit (Pierce), respectively, with glucose and BSA as standards, and by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (FIG. 13, Table 29).

MALDI-TOF

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra were obtained using a 4800 MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometer (AB Sciex, Framingham, Mass.). For protein analysis, the instrument was set to the positive linear mode to detect high mass positive ions. The matrix used was sinapinic acid [3-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-enoic acid] (Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, Mo.). The ions were produced by diode pumped Nd:YAG laser, operating at a wavelength of 355 nm. Following mass analysis, the ions were detected by a micro channelled plate operating between 1.9 kV to 2.1 kV. The resulted signals were collected by computer and analysed by 4000 series Explorer, (AB Sciex, Framingham, Mass.). In general, for each laser shot, a mass spectrum between 15,000 to 150,000 mass to charge ratio (m/z) is collected. A total of 375 mass spectra are then summed and averaged to yield a result mass spectrum.

Immunogenicity of DT Conjugates in Mice and Rabbits

The immunogenicity of conjugates will be tested in mice and rabbits. Five 6-8 week old female CD1 mice will be immunized intraperitoneally with appropriate conjugates. Each mouse will receive 2 μg or 10 μg of carbohydrate in 0.2 mL Ribi adjuvant per injection. The mice will be boosted on day 21 and 42 and sera recovered after terminal heart puncture on day 51.

Three New Zealand white rabbits will be immunized subcutaneously with appropriate conjugates. Each rabbit will receive 10 μg or 25 μg of carbohydrate in 0.5 mL Incomplete Freunds adjuvant. The rabbits will be boosted on day 28 and 56 and sera recovered after exsanguination on day 65.

The level of anti-LPS antibody in serum will be measured by ELISA in which purified LPS will be used as a coating antigen (1 μg/well). After washing with PBS, the plates will be blocked with 1% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA) in PBS or Milk Diluent/blocking solution (MDB) (KPL, Gaithersburg, Md.) for 1 h at 37° C. Diluted mouse or rabbit pre- or post-immune sera will be added, and the plates will be incubated for 2 h at 37° C. The plates will be washed with PBS and the second antibody, a goat anti-mouse IgG+IgM horseradish peroxidase conjugate (Caltag, So. San Francisco, Calif.) will be added. The plates will be incubated for 1 h at room temperature. After a final washing step, 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidene (TMB) (KPL, Gaithersburg, Md.) substrate will be added, and the reaction will be stopped with 1 M phosphoric acid. The absorbance will be determined at 450 nm using a microtiter plate reader (Dynatech, Chantilly, Va.).

Bactericidal Assay

Plate-grown H. pylori cells will be harvested and washed with 5 mL of PBS per plate. Following centrifugation, pellets will be suspended in 25 mL of PBS. The final bacterial suspension will be diluted in Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS) (Invitrogen, Grand Island, N.Y.) at 4×10⁶ CFU/mL. The assay will be performed in a flat-bottomed microtiter plate (ICN). A ten-fold serial dilution of decomplemented pre- or post-immune sera (50 μL) will be added to each well. Bacterial suspension (25 μL) then will be added and preincubated for 15 min at 37° C. Baby rabbit complement (Cedarlane Laboratories, Hornby, ON) will be diluted 1:50 or 1:100 and 25 μL will be added to the appropriate wells. The plate will be incubated for 45 min at 37° C. and then placed on ice. A 10 μL aliquot will be plated in triplicate on Columbia Blood agar, grown for 4 days at 37° C., and then the plates will be counted to measure the number of colony forming units (CFU). The control plate with bacteria and complement but without sera will be used to calculate the percentage killing. The bactericidal activity will be determined as the highest dilution of sera that caused 50% killing.

Results

Preparation and Characterization of DT Conjugates

Conjugates were prepared as described in Materials and methods. Briefly, reducing end glucose residue of dextran was reacted with 1,8-diamino-4,6-dioxaoctane by reductive amination procedure using sodium cyanoborohydrate (Roy et al., 1984). The presence of a spacer was confirmed by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy by the appearance of a new proton resonance at 3.22 ppm, corresponding to CH₂NH₂ group. The amine group of the spacer was further derivatized by reaction with 3-maleimidopropionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide to yield maleimido-functionalized dextran as described previously for LPS-OH or dLPS of H. pylori, as confirmed by the presence of proton resonances at 2.55 ppm and 6.9 ppm, corresponding to CH_(2α) and CH═CH groups of β-maleimidopropionate, respectively. The glycoconjugate was obtained through thiolation of a carrier protein and addition of the thiolated protein to the maleimido-functionalized dextran as described previously for LPS-OH or dLPS of H. pylori. The efficiency of conjugation was monitored by HPLC. The resultant conjugate was analyzed for its carbohydrate and protein content. Two conjugates were prepared with different loadings of carbohydrate onto DT based on starting molar ratios of carbohydrate to protein, 55:1 mol/mol (Dextran-3.5K-DT-1) and 16:1 mol/mol (Dextran-3.5K-DT-II), respectively (Table 29). The level of incorporation of Dextran-3.5K onto DT in each conjugate was determined by MALDI-MS (FIG. 13). MALDI-MS analysis of Dextran-3.5K-1 was consistent with the incorporation of 4 and 8 carbohydrate molecules per one molecule of DT corresponding to fragment ions m/z 73923 and m/z 80802, respectively (FIG. 13B). MALDI spectrum of Dextran-3.5K-DT-II conjugate was consistent with the incorporation of 2 carbohydrate molecules per one DT molecule (m/z 65608) although a significant fraction of glycoconjugate containing a higher number of attached carbohydrate molecules (8.2 moles of carbohydrate per 1 mole of DT, m/z 81381) was also obtained (FIG. 13C). The ratio of carbohydrate to protein in two conjugates ranged from 0.93:1 to 0.34:1 (w/w), based on the carbohydrate content (Table 29).

Immunogenicity and Bactericidal Activity Studies

The conjugates are expected to elicit IgG responses against H. pylori LPS from α1,6-glucan-positive H. pylori strains, 26695 HP0826::Kan and corresponding wild-type 26695, in both mice and rabbits after three injections. Control rabbits immunized with a mixture of relevant dextran and DT (with an adjuvant) are expected to show no or low level specific responses to these LPS after three immunizations. Cross-reactivity studies will be performed with Dextran-3.5K-DT-1 and Dextran-3.5K-DT-II rabbit post-immune sera against LPS from wild-type H. pylori strains representative of various LPS glycotypes (Altman et al., 2003; Monteiro, 2001) and selected mutants (Logan at al., 2000; Logan et al., 2005). The reactivity of rabbit post-immune sera are expected to be indicative of the requirement for the presence of α1,6-glucan.

The post-immune sera obtained from rabbits immunized with Dextran-3.5K-DT-1 or Dextran-3.5K-DT-II is expected to show functional activity against H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan mutant and corresponding wild-type strain 26695. Prevaccination sera or sera obtained from rabbits immunized with a mixture of the corresponding dextran and DT (with an adjuvant) is expected to show no or low levels of bactericidal activity against these strains.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

REFERENCES

All patents, patent applications and publications referred to herein and throughout the application are hereby incorporated by reference.

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TABLE 1 Positive-ion CE-MS data and proposed composition of LPS glycoforms in delipidated LPS from H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan. Pooled Observed ion Molecular mass (Da) fraction (m/z) Observed Calculated^(a) Proposed composition^(b) Fraction 1 [M + H + 2NH₄]³⁺ 1212.3 3599.9 3599.1 Hex₁₂ Hep₅ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ anhydroKDO₁ 1218.1 3617.3 3617.1 Hex₁₂ Hep₅ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ KDO₁ 1266.3 3761.9 3761.2 Hex₁₃ Hep₅ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ anhydroKDO₁ 1272.0 3779.0 3779.2 Hex₁₃ Hep₅ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ KDO₁ 1320.4 3924.2 3923.4 Hex₁₄ Hep₅ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ anhydroKDO₁ 1326.4 3942.2 3941.4 Hex₁₄ Hep₅ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ KDO₁ Fraction 2 [M + H + NH₄]²⁺ 902.4 1785.8 1785.5 Hex₂ Hep₄ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ anhydroKDO₁ 911.4 1803.8 1803.5 Hex₂ Hep₄ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ KDO₁ 983.5 1948.0 1947.7 Hex₃ Hep₄ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ anhydroKDO₁ 992.5 1966.0 1965.7 Hex₃ Hep₄ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ KDO₁ 1064.6 2110.2 2109.8 Hex₄ Hep₄ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ anhydroKDO₁ 1073.6 2128.2 2127.8 Hex₄ Hep₄ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ KDO₁ 1145.5 2272.0 2271.9 Hex₅ Hep₄ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ anhydroKDO₁ 1154.5 2290.0 2290.0 Hex₅ Hep₄ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ Fuc₁ KDO₁ Fraction 3 [M + H + NH₄]²⁺ 631.6 1244.2 1244.0 Hex₂ Hep₃ PEtn₁ anhydroKDO₁ 640.6 1262.2 1262.0 Hex₂ Hep₃ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ KDO₁ 733.2 1447.4 1447.2 Hex₂ Hep₃ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ anhydroKDO₁ 742.1 1465.2 1465.2 Hex₂ Hep₃ PEtn₁ HexNAc₁ KDO₁ ^(a)Based on average atomic masses. ^(b)Hex, HexNAc, Hep, KDO, PEtn and Fuc designate hexose, hexosamine, heptose, 3-keto-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid, phosphoethanolamine and fucose, respectively.

TABLE 2 Positive-ion CE-MS data and proposed composition of LPS glycoforms in O-deacylated LPS from H. pylori strain 26695 HP0826::Kan. Molecular mass Observed Ob- Calcu- ion (m/z) served lated^(a) Proposed composition^(b) [M + 2H]²⁺ 1137.2 2272.4 2272.1 Hex₂ Hep₃ PEtn₂ HexN₂ (3-OH C18:0)₂ KDO₁ 1239.2 2476.6 2475.3 Hex₂ Hep₃ HexNAc₁ PEtn₂ HexN₂ (3-OH C18:0)₂ KDO₁ 1408   2814.4 2813.5 Fuc₁ Hex₂ Hep₄ HexNAc₁ PEtn₂ HexN₂ (3-OH C18:0)₂ KDO₁ [M + 3H]³⁺ 1597.7 4790.1 4789.2 Fuc₁ Hex₁₃ Hep₅ HexNAc₁ PEtn₂ HexN₂ (3-OH C18:0)₂ KDO₁ 1651.4 4951.2 4951.3 Fuc₁ Hex₁₄ Hep₅ HexNAc₁ PEtn₂ HexN₂ (3-OH C18:0)₂ KDO₁ 1705.5 5113.5 5113.5 Fuc₁ Hex₁₅ Hep₅ HexNAc₁ PEtn₂ HexN₂ (3-OH C18:0)₂ KDO₁ ^(a)Based on the average atomic masses. ^(b)Hex, HexN, Hep, KDO, PEtn and Fuc designate hexose, hexosamine, heptose, 3-keto-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid, phosphoethanolamine and fucose, respectively.

TABLE 3 ¹H and ¹³C-NMR assignments for compound 4. H/C H/C H/C Unit H/C 1 2 3 4 H/C 5 H/C 6 H/C 7 Hep G 5.19 4.35 3.95 3.83 3.85 4.24 3.78/4.14 100.5 77.1 70.6 68.7 74.7 70.7 72.0 GlcN L 4.91 3.36 3.78 3.64 3.52 3.79/3.95 97.8 56.4 83.7 69.6 77.6 61.5 Fuc M 5.05 4.05 4.02 4.01 4.28 1.21 103.0 69.5 77.7 72.5 69.0 16.3 Hep N 5.15 4.05 3.91 3.84 3.84 4.08 3.90/3.90 102.8 71.1 71.3 68.7 74.5 79.8 62.0 Glc Z 5.15 3.61 3.74 3.52 4.11 3.76/3.99 98.9 72.5 74.5 70.7 71.6 66.7 Hep P 5.26 4.34 3.96 3.84 3.87 4.06 3.74/3.81 100.8 77.1 70.7 68.7 74.6 72.8 63.0 GlcN W 4.86 3.17 3.68 3.52 3.52 3.78/3.93 98.2 56.3 73.1 70.8 77.6 61.5

TABLE 4 ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR assignments for compound 6. Unit, com- H/C H/C H/C H/C pound H/C 1 2 3 4 5 H/C 6 H/C 7 anh- 3.75 4.08 4.07 4.20 3.94 3.72/3.79 Man- 62.1 82.6 84.4 76.6 83.8 62.0 ol L Fuc M 4.95 3.91 3.97 4.01 4.21 1.21 99.8 68.7 77.7 72.6 68.3 16.3 Hep N 5.11 4.05 3.96 3.83 3.85 4.08 3.89 103.3 71.0 72.5 68.8 75.0 79.8 62.0 -6-Glc 5.16 3.61 3.75 3.52 4.13 3.75/4.00 Z 98.9 72.5 74.5 70.7 71.6 66.7 -6-Glc 4.99 3.59 3.73 3.52 3.91 3.75/4.00 Q 98.9 72.5 74.5 70.7 71.4 66.7 -3-Glc 4.98 3.63 3.86 3.58 3.73 3.76/3.84 V 98.9 71.4 80.8 71.0 72.9 61.4 Hep X 5.22 4.22 3.94 3.94 3.89 4.06 3.73/3.82 102.0 70.8 79.2 67.6 75.0 72.5 62.8 Hep Y 5.10-5.11 4.25 3.98 3.89 3.89 4.06 3.73/3.82 103.3 70.6 79.0 67.9 75.0 72.5 62.8 Hep T 5.11 4.25 3.98 3.89 3.89 4.06 3.73/3.82 103.3 70.6 79.0 67.9 75.0 72.5 62.8 Hep P 5.12 40.6 3.85 3.75 3.89 4.06 3.73/3.82 103.3 71.0 71.8 68.6 75.0 72.5 62.8

TABLE 5 Composition and yield of conjugates used in this study. Amt (μg/mL) of Molar ratio Yield Conjugate CHO¹ protein² of CHO³ to protein (%) LPS-OH-TT-1 120 260 15:1 22 LPS-OH-TT-2 110 340 10:1 22 LPS-OH-TT-3 80 120 20:1 13 LPS-OH-TT-4 140 310 14:1 18 dLPS-BSA-1 75 100 13:1 18 dLPS-BSA-2 850 1200 13:1 29 dLPS-TT 490 960 20:1 16 dLPS(PJ2)-TT 390 760 24:1 32 ¹Amount of carbohydrate (CHO) was determined according to Dubois et al. (1956); LPS-OH or dLPS was used as a standard. ²Amount of protein was determined by BCA test; BSA was used as a standard. ³Molar ratio of CHO to protein was determined using average molecular mass values based on the average length of glucan chain: 4789 Da for LPS-OH and 3779 Da for dLPS (n = 10). For dLPS(PJ2) average molecular mass value was 3261 Da based on the average length of glucan chain (n = 8) (Altman et al., 2003).

TABLE 6 Murine and rabbit antibody responses to H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS and 26695 LPS elicited by LPS-OH-TT conjugates. Immune Serum endpoint IgG titre 1: Immunogen serum 26695 LPS 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS mice LPS-OH-TT-1^(a) 1 1,597 16,853 2 2,775 45,709 3 2,436 13,594 4 1,479 22,216 5 5,495 8,940 rabbits LPS-OH-TT-2^(b) 1 9,332 9,623,500 2 4,641 3,715,400 rabbits LPS-OH-TT-3^(b) 1 19,953 877,600 2 22,903 245,470 rabbits LPS-OH-TT-4^(c) 1 5,248 512,860 2 1,765 813,760 3 794 257,760 LPS-OH, TT, IFA 1 363 5,208 2 871 430 control 1 45 85 2 28 191 ^(a)Each mouse received 10 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Each rabbit received 50 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(c)Each rabbit received 10 μg of carbohydrate per injection.

TABLE 7 Murine and rabbit antibody responses to H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS and 26695 LPS elicited by dLPS-BSA conjugates. Immune Serum endpoint IgG titre 1: Immunogen serum 26695 LPS 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS Balb/c mice dLPS-BSA-1^(a) 1 27,968 87,096 2 55,804 94,044 3 8,844 78,223 4 54,954 363,080 dLPS-BSA-2^(b) 1 7,470 35,210 2 1,445 2,797 3 5,168 13,804 4 9,848 59,338 5 8,577 24,359 rabbits dLPS-BSA-2^(c) 1 65,063 162,180 2 30,667 28,184 3 8,710 93,325 dLPS, BSA, IFA 1 103 126 2 1,097 464 control^(d) 1 92 238 2 245 161 ^(a)Each mouse received 10 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Each mouse received 2 μg of carbohydrate per injection ^(c)Each rabbit received 10 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(d)Adjuvant (IFA) only.

TABLE 8 Murine and rabbit antibody responses to H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS and 26695 LPS elicited by dLPS-TT conjugate. Immune Serum endpoint IgG titre 1: Immunogen serum 26695 LPS 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS mice Balb/c dLPS-TT^(a) 1 48,603 187,640 2 8,848 64,072 3 10,798 56,667 4 8,577 80,662 5 35,755 103,120 mice CD-1 dLPS-TT^(a) 1 5,575 6,166 2 147,910 281,840 3 54,954 94,044 4 111,340 486,030 5 114,820 95,499 rabbits dLPS-TT^(b) 1 64,565 857,700 2 83,176 82,540 3 1,148,200 207,330,000 dLPS, TT, IFA 1 13 27 2 0 0 control^(c) 1 0 0 2 0 0 ^(a)Each mouse received 2 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Each rabbit received 10 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(c)Adjuvant (IFA) only.

TABLE 9 Murine and rabbit antibody responses to H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS and 26695 LPS elicited by dLPS(PJ2)-TT conjugate. Immune Serum endpoint IgG titre 1: Immunogen serum 26695 LPS 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS mice Balb/c dLPS(PJ2)-TT^(a) 1 912 2,651 2 851 3,090 3 864 6,026 4 977 6,407 5 926 6,119 rabbits dLPS(PJ2)-TT^(b) 1 3,772,800 27,542,000 2 186,210 4,677,400 3 44,668,000 55,378,000 dLPS(PJ2), TT, 1 182 626 IFA 2 81 347 control^(c) 1 0 0 2 0 0 ^(a)Each mouse received 2 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Each rabbit received 10 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(c)Adjuvant (IFA) only.

TABLE 10 Rabbit antibody responses to purified H. pylori LPS elicited by LPS-OH-TT and dLPS-BSA conjugates^(c). Immune serum IgG response OD_(450nm) LPS LPS-OH-TT-2 LPS-OH-TT-3 LPS-OH-TT-4 dLPS-BSA-2 26695 1.103^(a) (0.482)^(b) 1.241^(a) (0.833)^(b) 0.562^(a) (0.050)^(b) 1.341^(a) (0.751)^(b) 26695 HP0826::Kan 1.572 (1.430) 1.521 (1.523) 1.469 (0.529) 1.553 (1.140) O:3 0.810 (0.258) 1.113 (0.685) 0.626 (0.041) 1.244 (0.634) O:3 HP0826::Kan 1.569 (1.386) 1.541 (1.689) 1.473 (0.492) 1.568 (1.158) PJ1 0.755 (0.145) 1.168 (0.543) 0.471 (0.046) 1.344 (0.759) PJ2 1.335 (0.721) 1.465 (1.188) 1.098 (0.219) 1.509 (1.100) SS1 0.534 (0.096) 0.570 (0.101) 0.403 (0.049) 1.103 (0.457) SS1 HP0826::Kan 0.713 (0.121) 0.695 (0.177) 0.442 (0.032) 1.259 (0.539) ^(a)Post-immune serum titre 1:100 ^(b)Post-immune serum titre 1:1,000 ^(c)OD₄₅₀ ± 10%

TABLE 11 Rabbit antibody responses^(a) to purified H. pylori LPS elicited by dLPS-TT conjugate^(b). Immune serum IgG response OD_(450 nm) LPS rabbit 1 rabbit 2 rabbit 3 26695 0.611 0.446 0.95 26695 HP0826::Kan 1.038 0.799 1.248 26695 HP0159::Kan 0.504 0.115 0.963 O: 3 0.575 0.478 0.904 O: 3 HP0826::Kan 0.98 0.73 1.235 PJ1 0.668 0.572 1.002 PJ2 0.846 0.836 1.059 SS1 0.358 0.065 0.739 SS1 HP0826::Kan 0.359 0.078 0.911 M6 0.342 0.147 0.752 J99 0.316 0.105 0.730 ^(a)Post-immune serum titre 1: 1,000. ^(b)OD₄₅₀ ± 10%.

TABLE 12 Rabbit antibody responses^(a) to purified H. pylori LPS elicited by dLPS(PJ2)-TT conjugate^(b). Immune serum IgG response OD_(450 nm) LPS rabbit 1 rabbit 2 rabbit 3 26695 0.611 0.265 0.645 26695 HP0826::Kan 0.965 0.695 1.03 26695 HP0159::Kan 0.895 0.721 0.896 O:3 0.351 0.181 0.369 O:3 HP0826::Kan 0.76 0.55 0.868 PJ1 0.682 0.375 0.721 PJ2 0.897 0.764 1.067 SS1 0.271 0.136 0.219 SS1 HP0826::Kan 0.427 0.225 0.405 ^(a)Post-immune serum titre 1:1,000. ^(b)OD₄₅₀ ± 10%.

TABLE 13 Cross-reactivity of rabbit post-immune sera^(a) in the whole-cell indirect ELISA^(b) against clinical isolates of H. pylori. Strains Immunogen rabbits 002CL 026CL 027CL 048CL 058CL 101CL 113CL 153CL 217CL 240CL LPS-OH-TT-2 1 0.215 0.298 0.637 0.141 0.567 0.386 0.629 0.591 0.312 0.771 2 0.132 0.104 0.484 0.072 0.491 0.248 0.481 0.475 0.245 0.635 LPS-OH-TT-3 1 0.311 0.333 0.644 0.121 0.606 0.484 0.678 0.587 0.347 0.803 2 0.248 0.229 0.575 0.118 0.308 0.242 0.256 0.211 0.177 0.368 LPS-OH-TT-4 1 0.213 0.359 0.492 0.105 0.393 0.431 0.673 0.639 0.246 0.717 2 0.125 0.231 0.305 0.103 0.253 0.295 0.225 0.246 0.169 0.266 3 0.138 0.277 0.386 0.07 0.288 0.352 0.378 0.348 0.153 0.384 dLPS-BSA-2 1 0.995 0.694 0.916 0.283 0.738 1.126 0.995 1.14 0.448 1.02 2 0.712 0.544 0.337 0.299 0.372 0.821 0.522 0.655 0.271 0.694 3 0.773 0.664 0.351 0.502 0.475 0.884 0.788 0.947 0.443 0.791 dLPS-TT 1 0.835 1.167 0.621 0.945 0.876 1.471 1.300 1.277 1.146 1.243 2 0.737 0.429 0.582 0.143 0.527 1.225 1.135 0.634 0.515 1.025 3 0.838 1.168 0.652 0.999 0.823 1.500 1.361 1.254 1.118 1.157 ^(a)Post-immune serum titre 1:100. ^(b)OD₄₅₀ ≧ 0.2 ± 10%.

TABLE 14 Bactericidal activity against H. pylori strains 26695 HP0826::Kan and 26695 with rabbit antisera elicited by conjugates. Immune Serum bactericidal titre (50% killing) serum against H. pylori 1: Immunogen rabbits 26695 26695 0826::Kan LPS-OH-TT-4^(a) 1 509 3,861 2 374 5,934 3 832 8,577 control^(b) 86 103 dLPS-BSA-2^(a) 1 884 13,183 2 398 5,580 3 275 3,415 control^(b) 132 140 dLPS-TT^(a) 1 1,131 4,365 2 1,063 1,445 3 4,105 4,936 control^(b) 158 124 dLPS(PJ2)-TT^(a) 1 832 2,840 2 1,848 2,671 3 509 7,586 control^(b) 63 52 ^(a)Each rabbit received 10 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Corresponding rabbit preimmune serum.

TABLE 15 Bactericidal activity against clinical isolates of H. pylori with rabbit antisera elicited by conjugates. Serum bactericidal titre (50% killing) against H. pylori 1: Immunogen 002CL 058CL 153CL LPS-OH-TT-4 1,131 407 0 control^(a) 107 79 25 dLPS-BSA-2 864 1,259 66 control^(a) 93 75 53 dLPS-TT 509 1,445 311 control^(a) 28 36 21 dLPS(PJ2) 374 1,738 215 control^(a) 18 20 21 ^(a)Corresponding rabbit preimmune serum.

TABLE 16 H. pylori LPS-specific serum IgG levels measured by ELISA against 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS. Sera were collected at one week after the last immunization and prior to bacterial challenge with H. pylori strain PJ2. OD₄₀₅ (Mean ± SEM) serum IgG Time point dLPS-TT + CT PJ2 sonicate + CT Saline Prechallenge 3.004 ± 0.315 1.467 ± 0.295 0.089 ± 0.017

TABLE 17 H. pylori LPS-specific serum, fecal and vaginal IgA levels measured by ELISA against 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS. Samples were collected at one week after the last immunization and prior to bacterial challenge with H. pylori strain PJ2. OD₄₀₅ (Mean ± SEM) IgA Sample dLPS-TT + CT PJ2 sonicate + CT Saline Serum 0.473 ± 0.100 1.099 ± 0.397 0.036 ± 0.004 Feces 0.689 ± 0.505 0.674 ± 0.321 0.017 ± 0.003 Vaginal wash 0.927 ± 0.674 0.269 ± 0.168 −0.008 ± 0.002  

TABLE 18 Rabbit^(a) antibody responses^(b) to purified H. pylori LPS elicited by Dextran-BSA conjugate^(c). Immune serum IgG response OD_(450 nm) LPS rabbit 1 rabbit 2 26695 0.154 0.165 26695 HP0826::Kan 0.440 0.348 26695 HP0159::Kan 0.018 0.002 O:3 0.109 0.074 O:3 HP0826::Kan 0.387 0.357 PJ1 0.199 0.193 PJ2 0.685 0.601 SS1 0.06 0.001 SS1 HP0826::Kan 0.021 0.021 ^(a)Each rabbit received 10 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Post-immune serum titre 1:100. ^(c)OD₄₅₀ ± 10%.

TABLE 19 Bactericidal activity against H. pylori strains 26695 HP0826::Kan and 26695 with rabbit antisera elicited by Dextran-BSA conjugate. Immune Serum bactericidal titre (50% killing) serum against H. pylori 1: Immunogen rabbits 26695 26695 HP0826::Kan Dextran-BSA^(a) 1 259 203 2 374 149 control^(b) 15 13 ^(a)Each rabbit received 10 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Corresponding rabbit preimmune serum.

TABLE 20 Inhibition ELISA with a series of linear α1,6- linked glucose-containing oligosaccharides and LPS of H. pylori strains 26695, O:3 and PJ2. inhibitor IC₅₀ ^(b) Isomaltose 0 Glcα1→(6Glcα1→)_(n=1) Isomaltotriose 10,000 Glcα1→(6Glcα1→)_(n=2) ^(a) Isomaltotetraose 1,600 Glcα1→(6Glcα1→)_(n=3) Isomaltopentaose 460 Glcα1→(6Glcα1→)_(n=4) Isomaltohexaose 290 Glcα1→(6Glcα1→)_(n=5) Isomaltoheptaose 210 Glcα1→(6Glcα1→)_(n=6) 26695 LPS (n = 3-4) 170 O:3 LPS (n = 5-6) 52 PJ2 LPS (n = 6-8) 0.29 ^(a)Number of α1,6-linked glucose residues. ^(b)Concentration of the oligosaccharide or LPS (μg/mL) required for 50% inhibition.

TABLE 21 Characterization of 1C4F9 mAbs binding to α1,6-glucan of H. pylori strains by WCE, IF adherence and bactericidal assays. WCE BC₅₀ Strains (OD₄₅₀) IF^(a) O-chain titre^(b) 26695 1.03 ++++ +^(c) 1:2 × 10⁶ 26695 1.347 ++++ −^(d) 1:2 × 10⁵ HP0826::Kan O:3 1.509 ++++ +^(c) 1:1 × 10⁶ O:3 1.372 ++++ −^(d) 1:4 × 10⁶ HP0826::Kan PJ1 1.573 ++++ −^(c) 1:2 × 10³ PJ2 1.659 ++++ −^(e) 1:6 × 10⁴ SS1 − − +^(c) n.d.^(d) ^(a)Symbols: ++++, strongly positive; −, negative. ^(b)Bactericidal (BC₅₀) titres are represented as the reciprocal of the dilution of antiserum that reduced viable cell count by 50%. ^(c)From Monteiro, 2001. ^(d)From Logan et al., 2000. ^(e)From Altman et al., 2003. ^(d)Not determined.

TABLE 22 Methylation analysis of Dextran-5K, Dextran-3.5K and Dextran-1.5K used for preparation of conjugates. Relative molar ratios^(a) Sugar linkage Dextran-5K Dextran-3.5K Dextran-1.5K terminal Glc 1 1 1 3-linked Glc — 0.2 — 4-linked Glc — 0.2 — 6-linked Glc 13 8.5 7 2,6-linked Glc 0.5 0.2 0.1 4,6-linked Glc 0.5 0.4 0.1 3,6-linked Glc 2 2 0.4 ^(a)Based on the detector response (total ion count).

TABLE 23 Composition and yield of conjugates used in this study. Amount (μg/mL) Final ratio (w/w) Yield Conjugate CHO^(a) protein^(b) of CHO to protein % Dextran-5K-TT 750 780 0.96:1 48 Dextran-3.5K-TT 780 1060 0.74:1 42 Dextran-1.5K-TT 690 1480 0.67:1 38 ^(a)Amount of carbohydrate (CHO) was determined according to Dubois et al. (1956); D-glucose was used as a standard. ^(b)Amount of protein was determined by BCA test; BSA was used as a standard.

TABLE 24 Murine and rabbit serum IgG titres against H. pylori 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS and 26695 LPS elicited by Dextran- 5K-TT, Dextran-3.5K-TT and Dextran-1.5K-TT conjugates. Serum endpoint IgG titre 1: Immunogen Immune 26695 LPS 26695 HP0826::Kan LPS mice Dextran-5K-TT^(a) 1 782 6,166 2 7,586 35,481 3 858 4,266 4 832 977 5 9,120 8,318 rabbits Dextran-5K-TT^(b) 1 1,778 38,019 2 158,490 1,659,600 3 63,096 3,311,300 Dextran-5K, 1 0 0 TT, IFA 2 0 0 control 1 0 0 2 0 0 mice Dextran-3.5K-TT^(a) 1 8,318 50,119 2 912 6,506 3 807 5,089 4 4,936 14,678 5 940 5,934 rabbits Dextran-3.5K-TT^(b) 1 6,610 81,283 2 1,738 56,234 3 33,113 4,786,300 Dextran-3.5K, 1 0 0 TT, IFA 2 0 0 control 1 0 16 2 0 0 mice Dextran-1.5K-TT^(a) 1 3,261 2,840 2 1,097 871 3 858 1,047 4 871 884 5 9,120 898 rabbits Dextran-1.5K-TT^(b) 1 2,884 35,283 2 6,918 85,114 3 436,520 2,818,400 Dextran-1.5K, 1 0 11 TT, IFA 2 0 0 control 1 0 16 2 0 0 ^(a)Each mouse received 2 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Each rabbit received 20 μg of carbohydrate per injection.

TABLE 25 Rabbit^(a) antibody responses^(b) to purified H. pylori LPS elicited by dextran-based conjugates^(c). 26695 26695 26695 O:3 O:3 PJ1 PJ2 SS1 SS1 Immunogen LPS HP0826:: HP0159:: LPS HP0826:: LPS LPS LPS HP0826:: Dextran-5K-TT rabbit 1 0.276 0.614 0.045 0.170 0.570 0.496 0.854 0.032 0.029 rabbit 2 0.681 0.834 0.047 0.656 0.818 0.874 0.830 0.044 0.121 rabbit 3 0.567 0.758 0.042 0.604 0.858 0.768 0.862 0.047 0.092 Dextran-3.5K-TT rabbit 1 0.611 0.984 0.010 0.453 0.907 0.885 1.146 0.066 0.043 rabbit 2 0.328 0.817 0.007 0.253 0.799 0.602 1.098 0.036 0.029 rabbit 3 0.618 1.034 0.056 0.562 1.091 0.859 1.006 0.043 0.066 Dextran-1.5K-TT rabbit 1 0.551 0.860 0.011 0.650 0.936 0.659 0.979 0.032 0.074 rabbit 2 0.543 0.842 0.012 0.561 0.886 0.661 0.933 0.010 0.029 rabbit 3 0.881 1.002 0.007 0.822 0.996 0.910 1.045 0.116 0.301 ^(a)Each rabbit received 20 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Post-immune serum titre 1:100. ^(c)OD₄₅₀ ± 10%.

TABLE 26 Mouse^(a) antibody responses^(b) to purified H. pylori LPS elicited by dextran-based conjugates^(c). 26695 26695 O:3 SS1 26695 HP0826:: HP0159:: O:3 HP0826:: PJ1 PJ2 SS1 HP0826:: Immunogen LPS Kan LPS Kan LPS LPS Kan LPS LPS LPS LPS Kan LPS Dextran-5K-TT mouse 1 0.590 1.134 0.054 0.321 1.135 0.807 1.561 0.084 0.120 mouse 2 1.397 1.487 0.253 1.136 1.478 1.623 1.665 0.457 0.532 mouse 3 0.539 1.041 0.089 0.383 0.949 1.029 1.544 0.096 0.116 mouse 4 0.549 0.954 0.275 0.530 0.920 0.930 1.434 0.328 0.304 mouse 5 1.466 1.455 0.445 1.273 1.457 1.390 1.492 0.401 0.457 Dextran-3.5K-TT mouse 1 1.348 1.597 0.333 1.180 1.428 1.459 1.560 0.273 0.301 mouse 2 1.068 1.476 0.581 0.911 1.435 1.346 1.503 0.194 0.149 mouse 3 0.791 1.308 0.706 0.760 1.344 1.142 1.515 0.135 0.137 mouse 4 1.173 1.479 0.163 1.027 1.454 1.388 1.586 0.133 0.156 mouse 5 0.980 1.400 0.806 1.033 1.483 1.258 1.517 0.185 0.152 Dextran-1.5K-TT mouse 1 1.382 1.597 0.205 1.249 1.511 1.460 1.617 0.228 0.238 mouse 2 1.318 1.556 0.139 1.223 1.532 1.485 1.593 0.216 0.339 mouse 3 1.238 1.505 0.180 1.243 1.531 1.429 1.527 0.154 0.229 mouse 4 1.024 1.471 0.264 1.056 1.473 1.347 1.569 0.202 0.171 mouse 5 0.874 1.373 0.148 0.835 1.429 1.219 1.555 0.170 0.157 ^(a)Each mouse received 2 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Post-immune serum titre 1:100. ^(c)OD₄₅₀ ± 10%.

TABLE 27 Inhibition of mouse^(a) antibody responses to LPS from α1,6-glucan-negative strains of H. pylori elicited by Dextran-5K-TT conjugate. Coating LPS IC₅₀ ^(b) 26695 HP0159::Kan LPS 86 SS1 LPS 158 SS1 HP0826::Kan LPS 233 ^(a)Post-immune sera from mouse 5 immunized with Dextran-5K-TT. ^(b)Concentration of 26695 HP0479::Kan LPS (μg/mL) required for 50% inhibition.

TABLE 28 Bactericidal activity against H. pylori strains 26695 HP0826::Kan and 26695 with rabbit antisera elicited by dextran-based conjugates. Serum bactericidal titre (50% killing) against H. pylori 1: Immunogen 26695 26695 HP0826::Kan Dextran-5K-TT^(a) 195 2,416 control^(b) 20 91 Dextran-3.5K-TT^(a) 479 575 control^(b) 76 71 Dextran-1.5K-TT^(a) 140 509 control^(b) 76 71 ^(a)Each rabbit received 20 μg of carbohydrate per injection. ^(b)Corresponding rabbit pre-immune serum.

TABLE 29 Composition and yield of the conjugates used in this study Amount CHO/ Reagent (μg/mL) protein ratios pro- final CHO to pro- Yield Glycoconjugate CHO^(a) tein^(b) ratio, w/w tein, mol/mol^(c) (%) Dextran-3.5K-DT-I 1400 1500 0.93:1 55:1 24.5 Dextran-3.5K-DT-II 950 2800 0.34:1 16:1 30.8 ^(a)Amount of carbohydrate (CHO) was determined according to Dubois et al. (1956); glucose was used as a standard. ^(b)Amount of protein was determined by BCA test; BSA was used as a standard. ^(c)Molar ratio of CHO was determined using average molecular mass values based on average molecular mass of Dextran-3.5K corresponding to 2634 Da, as determined by MALDI. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. An immunogenic conjugate comprising an isolated dextran conjugated to a linker molecule, an isolated protein carrier, or a combination thereof, wherein the isolated dextran comprises a substantially linear alpha 1,6-glucan chain of 6 to 14 consecutive glucose residues and has an average molecular weight between 1.5 kDa and 6.5 kDa and wherein the conjugate, upon administration to a mammal, elicits alpha 1,6-1inked glucan-specific antibodies that are cross-reactive with the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Heliobacter pylori (H. pylori) and that are bactericidal against H. pylori.
 2. The conjugate according to claim 1 wherein the isolated dextran comprises linear α1,6-glucan chains modified with short side-chains composed of consecutive α1,6-linked glucose residues.
 3. The conjugate according to claim 1 wherein the isolated dextran is produced by Leuconostoc mesenteroides.
 4. The conjugate according to claim 3 wherein the Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain is Leuconostoc mesenteroides B512F.
 5. The conjugate according to claim 1, wherein the isolated linear dextran has a molecular weight selected from the group consisting of 1.5 kDa; 3.5 kDa; 5 kDa; and 6.5 kDa.
 6. The conjugate according to claim 1 wherein the isolated protein carrier is selected from the group consisting of: tetanus toxoid (TT); bovine serum albumin (BSA); CRM; Diphtheria toxoid (DT), mutant Diphtheria toxoid, Pseudomonas A protein, Cholera toxin protein (CT), a Cholera toxin mutant CT-E29H protein; and CRM197 protein.
 7. The conjugate according to claim 1 wherein the isolated protein carrier is tetanus toxoid (TT).
 8. The conjugate according to claim 1 wherein the isolated protein carrier is Diphtheria toxoid (DT).
 9. A method of inducing an immune response against Helicobacter pylori in a mammal comprising administering to said mammal an effective amount of the conjugate according to claim
 1. 10. The conjugate according to claim 1, wherein the substantially linear a1,6-1 inked substantially linear glucan consists essentially of a linear chain of 6 to 14 consecutive glucose residues.
 11. The conjugate according to claim 10, wherein the isolated dextran has a molecular weight selected from the group consisting of 1.5 kDa; 3.5 kDa; 5 kDa; and 6.5 kDa.
 12. The conjugate of claim 1, wherein the LPS is from a typeable strain of H. pylori.
 13. The conjugate of claim 1, wherein the LPS is from a non-typeable strain of H. pylori. 